Total Drama Return
by TurnipTheBeets
Summary: Chris McLean and Chef Hatchet are back at Camp Wawanakwa (now completely free of scientific phenomenons and defiances of nature), to get back to basics with the new season, Total Drama Return! Each challenge will be based around one of the original contestants, and with 24 new teenagers to occupy the island, who knows what will happen? (APPS CLOSED)
1. Application

The intro to the hit celebrity gossip show, Celebrity Manhunt, was always a reason to press the down button on a remote control. The obnoxious guitar and drum cacophony was enough to make a 25 volume sound like a 100, and the flashing of cameras lit any room up with a strobe of fluorescent light. The intro faded away, a wide-shot revealing the host, Blaineley, sitting in a high-rise chair, adorning her usual red dress, earrings, and red shoes. Her face expressed the age she had inevitably gone through, though she tried to suppress her wrinkles with endless botox and high-end cremes.

"Hello, everyone! My name is Blaineley, and we have a very special announcement to begin this episode of Celebrity Manhunt." However bitter the woman may have been offset, when the camera was on her, people couldn't help but to focus. "Chris McLean, former host of the hit Total Drama franchise that premiered almost 8 years to the date, has announced a return to his form with his friend, Chef Hatchet!" The cast photo of the original cast of Total Drama Island popped into the frame just to the right of Blaineley's head, the theme song playing softly in the background as the female continued to speak. "After going through tons of paperwork and overcoming endless network obstacles, Mr. McLean has gained rights back to the original site of the first season, and plans to bring 24 more teens back to the now scientific phenomenon free island to compete for a $100,000 prize! The challenges this season will be based around each of the former contestants, as recommended by the sources themselves!"

Blaineley paused, clapping her manicured hands together. "So, teenagers across the world, do you think you have what it takes to compete? Submit your application to the address across your screen!" The address popped into view just beneath Blaineley, her gaze swiveling to the side as if she was looking at someone. "How old is the original cast now? 24-25? Something like that?" She tossed her hand, emitting a chuckle. "Whoever makes it better say their prayers, that's all I gotta say."

 **THINK YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO COMPETE FOR $100,000? APPLY NOW! FILL OUT THE APPLICATION BELOW IN COMPLETE DETAIL!**

 ** _Welcome to Total Drama Return! For this SYOC, submit the application VIA PMs, with the message titled, "TDR- Insert Character Name Here". For this iteration of the SYOC, you may submit up to two OCs. This goes without saying, but no Mary/Marty Sues, and no magical beings. Make your character complex with flaws and fears, as they will be more relatable this way._**

 **Name (Full name):**

 **Nickname:**

 **Age (16-18):**

 **Gender:**

 **Sexuality:**

 **Stereotype:**

 **Personality (Be detailed with this):**

 **Strengths:**

 **Weaknesses:**

 **Likes:**

 **Dislikes:**

 **Fears:**

 **Skills (Lacking and strengths. Your character cannot be good at everything. Maybe they are a great athlete, but not good with cooking.):**

 **Talents (Musical, bilingual, etc):**

 **Backstory (Be detailed with this):**

 **Height:**

 **Weight:**

 **Skin tone:**

 **Build:**

 **Eye color/shape:**

 **Hair color:**

 **Hair style/length:**

 **Any distinguishable features? (Piercings, tattoos, freckles, beauty marks, etc):**

 **Normal attire:**

 **Swim attire:**

 **Sleep attire:**

 **Formal attire:**

 **Strategy to win:**

 **Intentions with winnings:**

 **People they would befriend:**

 **People they would make an enemy:**

 **Do they want a romantic relationship?:**

 **If so, with who?:**

 **Audition (Be creative, show me a taste for your OC!):**

 _ **If you have any suggestions for challenges, feel free to message me! I would LOVE to hear some feedback!**_


	2. Accepted Characters: List 1

_**Here are the accepted characters! Keep in mind that not everyone can be a nice guy, so be sure to submit a character with more villainous tendencies!**_

 **GIRLS**

1: Maeve Pierpont- The Methodical Student Council President (Mine)

2: Camellia Rose McAlister- The Energetic Thrill Seeker (HoshiNyanGirl)

3: Saraphina "Sara" Laurel Black- The Sweet Bad Girl (Not So Sweet Sara)

4:

5:

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 **GUYS**

1: Danny Smith- The Country Musician (prestoncampbell2001)

2: Graham Ulry- The Introverted (Yet Sarcastic) Otaku (xXRocketShark216Xx)

3: Lawrence Foster- The Shy Nice Guy (GirlPower54)

4: Jayden Foster- The Friendly Manipulator (GirlPower54)

5: Joshua Prower- The Tragic Comedian (Meowth's Tooth Dragon)

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	3. Accepted Characters: List 2

**_Wow! Look at us go! We only have three OCs remaining, and all of them are male! Please submit ASAP! I would love to get the next chapter cranked out before my break ends!_**

 **GIRLS**

1: Maeve Pierpont- The Methodical Student Council President (Mine)

2: Camellia Rose McAlister- The Energetic Thrill Seeker (HoshiNyanGirl)

3: Saraphina "Sara" Laurel Black- The Sweet Bad Girl (Not So Sweet Sara)

4: Elizabeth Moore- The Pacifist (ProtectorofRabbits)

5: Rosa "Lillith" Collins- The Girl with a Split Personality (Silver Writer 0927)

6: Sarah Reyes- The Expert Strategist (CVluvFoxy)

7: Hannah Richardson- The Tumblr Blogger (CVluvFoxy)

8: Brittany Lansing- The Regina George Type (Mine)

9: Nicole Hammons- The Outright Sadist (I am a fish)

10: Mariana Santa Service- The Maternal Chef (TechniqueFantasy

11: Ximenia Lucia Veronica Florez- The Dramatic Telenovela Actress (pizzwizz)

12: Lauren Greenwood- The Countess Contessa (Silver Writer 0927)

 **GUYS**

1: Danny Smith- The Country Musician (prestoncampbell2001)

2: Graham Ulry- The Introverted (Yet Sarcastic) Otaku (xXRocketShark216Xx)

3: Lawrence Foster- The Shy Nice Guy (GirlPower54)

4: Jayden Foster- The Friendly Manipulator (GirlPower54)

5: Joshua Prower- The Tragic Comedian (Meowth's Tooth Dragon)

6: Daniel Hinson- The Tragic, Determined Villain (I am a fish)

7: Jerry Trinton- That Very Weird Guy (CrissCrossover)

8: Albhe O'Conner- The Lewd Narcissist (DeviouslyNormal)

9: Adam Freene- The Closeted Geek (xXDemonGingerXx)

10: Ricky Mantequillo- The Gay Best Friend (Mine)

11:

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	4. Accepted Characters: Final Cast

**FULL CAST LIST!**

 **GIRLS**

1: Maeve Pierpont- The Methodical Student Council President (Mine)

2: Camellia Rose McAlister- The Energetic Thrill Seeker (HoshiNyanGirl)

3: Saraphina "Sara" Laurel Black- The Sweet Bad Girl (Not So Sweet Sara)

4: Elizabeth Moore- The Pacifist (ProtectorofRabbits)

5: Rosa "Lillith" Collins- The Girl with a Split Personality (Silver Writer 0927)

6: Sarah Reyes- The Expert Strategist (CVluvFoxy)

7: Hannah Richardson- The Tumblr Blogger (CVluvFoxy)

8: Brittany Lansing- The Regina George Type (Mine)

9: Nicole Hammons- The Outright Sadist (I am a fish)

10: Mariana Santa Service- The Maternal Chef (TechniqueFantasy)

11: Ximena Lucia Verónica Florez- The Dramatic Telenovela Actress (pizzawizz)

12: Lauren Greenwood- The Viral Pop Star (Silver Writer 0927)

 **GUYS**

1: Danny Smith- The Country Musician (prestoncampbell2001)

2: Graham Ulry- The Introverted (Yet Sarcastic) Otaku (xXRocketShark216Xx)

3: Lawrence Foster- The Shy Nice Guy (GirlPower54)

4: Jayden Foster- The Friendly Manipulator (GirlPower54)

5: Joshua Prower- The Tragic Comedian (Meowth's Tooth Dragon)

6: Daniel Hinson- The Tragic, Determined Villain (I am a fish)

7: Jerry Trinton- That Very Weird Guy (CrissCrossover)

8: Albhe O'Conner- The Lewd Narcissitic (DeviouslyNormal)

9: Adam Freene- The Closeted Geek (xXDemonGingerXx)

10: Ricky Mantequillo- The Gay Best Friend (Mine)

11: Henry Dax- The Half-Animal Survivalist (GirlPower54)

12: Johnathon Johnson the Third- The Rich Kid (ninjedi)


	5. Have You Tried Being a Bird?, PART 1

An image of a rather famous delinquent came into frame, and though the footage was in black and white, one could practically plaster the green mohawk upon his head. "Hey, Duncan here," the ever so familiar voice rang out, cocky undertones sweeping through with those three words. The footage moved back, other audition tapes joining alongside them in rows and columns, each of them from the original cast of Total Drama Island.

"You thought it was over?!" Chris's voice rang out, the image vanishing to reveal him standing on the dock, sipping a can of Diet Coke through a red bendy straw. "That was almost 9 years ago, people! And as you all know, the drama never ends!" He haphazardly tossed the soda can behind him, wiping his hands of condensation along his well-fitting khaki shorts. "Through persuasion of both the verbal and financial degree, I have managed to re-create the very same island and campsite that the first season took place on, and I am bringing 24 teens back to compete for $100,000 dollars!"

He laughed, standing in front of the sign that read 'Camp Wawanakwa'. "Myself, Chef, and a panel of production members have filed through your audition tapes, and have picked the best of the best campers to compete." He sighed, directly addressing the audience. "I know, it's a basic algorithm for cable success, but we managed to spice it up by getting into contact with each original cast member and forming a challenge based on them! You can't write this stuff, people!"

The music began to swirl in the back, as Chris gestured around him. "Who will win? Who will the world fall in love with this time around?! Will this group of teens garner as much success as their predecessors?! Find out on this season of,"

"TOTAL! DRAMA! RETURN!" On each beat, the camera panned out, revealing the front exterior of the island. "Man, I missed saying that!"

 **(The good ol' theme jingle)**

"Welcome back, folks! Glad you decided to come back, because you don't want to miss an ounce of what these new teens have to offer!" Chris exclaimed, just as a boat horn sounded the arrival of the first camper. "Wow, what a perfect cue! Right now we have our first camper, Ricky!"

A tall male stepped out, holding two duffels, both of which had a small pride flag attached to the zipper. His olive hued complexion caught the sun, almost making him appear translucent, but in a graceful, angelic manner. His monolid eyes, due to his Korean background, were a deep shade of black, his long, black locks tied back into a bun. He finished off his rather relaxed appearance with a pair of light denim jeans, and a white t-shirt. "Hey, Chris! Nice to finally be here!" He politely greeted as he walked across the dock, high-fiving Chris as he settled near the opposite end of the dock.

"Good to see you, Ricky!" Chris smiled, pivoting on his heel to face where the boats were being dropped off, only to be faced with a female of average height, her chocolate brown gaze holding little amusement. She appeared intimidating, from her black hair with purple-tip dye, tied into low pigtails, to her outfit, which consisted of a black tank top with the words 'Runaway' scrawled in messy bold, dark wash denim shorts frayed at the hem, and black combat boots.

"OH MERCIFUL JESUS!" Chris exclaimed, clutching his heart. "Oh, it's not a scary, Hot Topic ghost, it's just Sara!" Chris forced a laugh, ensuing an eye roll from Sara as she rashly clutched her bags. "Wow, McLean, how clever, it's almost like that was scripted, just like half of your BS programs." She sneered, slamming her stuff down beside Ricky, who was smirking in enjoyment over the girl's clever retort.

Chris narrowed his eyes, shaking his head whilst sourly mumbling. "I am just great at being put on the spot, I am a natural improviser." Another horn rang in the distance, an average height girl with dark brown skin, hazel eyes,black hair that was expertly styled, with bangs across her forehead, the locks cascading to her upper back, wearing red-framed glasses, a light blue dress shirt, tan skirt, and tan sandals. "Hey Sara, meet Sarah!"

Sarah smiled, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose with her index finger. "Well, I am naturally biased toward liking this Sara!" Sarah moved to stand beside the other, who looked away, her eyebrows raised in an unamused manner.

"Hold on!" Chris held up his hand, appearing to be talking on the cell phone. "Word has it that our next contestant isn't actually on a boat...but is already on the island?" Quizzically, each of them began to look around, until a guy suddenly burst onto the dock, his light brown locks partially concealed by a black beanie, his circular green eyes holding an almost feral nature to them. He wore a red shirt, a green jacket, blue jeans, and blue Converse. Ricky jumped, Sara scoffed, and Sarah adjusted her glasses at the sight. "Oh, there's Henry." Chris pointed at him, tilting his head. "...Sort of a weird, yet completely irrelevant topic as to how he managed to get Converse and submit an audition even though he was literally raised by animals, but that's something we're going to ignore!"

Sara stood away from the male as he approached on all fours, folding her arms over her chest. "This isn't the Jungle Book!"

Danny was the next to arrive, his shaggy locks tousling in the wind, his black eyes casting over each of the contestants on the dock. He adjusted the sleeves of his purple long-sleeved shirt, which was matched nicely with his blue jeans and tan sandals. "Meet Danny, our resident country musician!" Chris introduced, gesturing to the male. Danny politely nodded his head to everyone. "Howdy y'all, it's a pleasure!"

Henry looked up at the male that approached, tilting his head at him. "You smell like a farm." He immediately commented.

"UGH! I already see two cis-males, thus making this experience even less pleasurable for me." The rather obnoxious voice of a short, overweight girl with bright purple hair tied into a bun, brown eyes, thick-framed glasses, a cat collared pastel shirt, jeans, and glittery sneakers spat, moving past each of the contestants and standing with Ricky. "I have identified the use of your pride flags, as I am very vocal of my support of the LGBT through my hit Tumblr blog, so I have chosen you as my friend."

"...Hannah, just in case I could even get a word in." Chris rolled his eyes, shaking his head at the contestant. Looking around just as a boat arrived, he couldn't spot the contestant that had exited. "Where the-" A voice was heard below him, Chris' bore sliding downward to show a short girl, with light brown skin, freckles covering nearly every inch of her body, a head full of black, natural hair, and piercing, light brown eyes. She was dressed rather conservatively, wearing a pair of high-waisted jeans, black high-heeled ankle boots, an olive blazer, and a white blouse. "Oh, there's Maeve!"

Maeve nodded her head, rolling her eyes. "Thanks, Chris. The height jokes are very trivial, glad to know my first impression is because I'm short."

Larry was the next one to arrive, his wide brown eyes taking in his scenery, his fingers nervously combing through his brown locks. His outfit was quite bright, consisting of a red baseball cap, unzipped red leather jacket, blue running shoes, and a black shirt with a bright orange skull and neon green lines. "Hey, everyone! I-I'm super psyched to be here!" He flashed a nervous grin, which reciprocated a grin back from the vast majority of the contestants, but Sara didn't smile back, and neither did Maeve; she just shook her head at him.

Elizabeth exited the boat, hesitantly stepping atop of the dock and taking in her surroundings. She was a rather cute girl, with round, reddish-brown eyes, blue tendrils that moved to her waist, a white sailor top atop of her curvy upper-half, her lower half also accentuated by blue denim shorts and white high-heeled shoes. She adjusted the sailor hat upon her head, looking to Chris. "M-May I go stand?" She inquired, her meek voice barely audible above the sounds of nature, though an English accent was clear in her words.

Chris nodded his head, just as the female went to stand with everyone, smiling down at Henry. "Hello!" She greeted, moving her fingers over his beanie. "How peculiar." She breathed, tipping her head at him. Maeve blinked, her facial expression seeming to not change. "A girl who dresses like an extra in Anything Goes is petting a male that was raised in nature...This is very much a horrible drug trip."

"Everyone, meet Mariana!" A Caucasian girl stepped onto the dock, tucking a strand of reddish-brown hair behind her ear, which was styled in a bob that was cut to her neck. She wore a long sleeve white shirt with a pink heart over the right side of her chest, blue jeans, and pink sneakers. Before Chris could even open his mouth, Mariana darted over to Sarah, removing her glasses and starting to clean them for her. "Don't want you falling over!" She smiled, handing them back to Sarah, who chuckled, sliding them back onto her face.

Ricky tipped his head as the next contestant approached, a short male with round, green eyes and dark brown hair, his bangs sweeping to the right and falling in front of his eye. He wore a purple shirt with Gengar on the front, overtop a black cardigan. He wore black jeans and Squirtle styled shoes, his gaze moving over to Hannah. "I love your hair! My name is Adam, by the way." His voice and walk were a bit more on the feminine side, though he didn't seem to mind.

Hannah touched her locks, smiling at Adam. "Thank you, I like your Pokemon styled outfit, as I follow a blog that is based off of Pokemon yaoi!" She exclaimed excitedly in response.

Ricky and Adam both went wide-eyed, Ricky beginning to laugh hysterically, which made Adam crack a smile. Larry frowned as his brother, Jayden approached, a long sigh escaping him. "Here we go." Larry murmured beneath his breath. Jayden had a very similar appearance to Larry, with brown eyes and brown hair, but Jayden wore a blue polo shirt and jeans, with blue running shoes, and black gloves.

"Hello! It's so very nice to meet all of you." Jay's tone was sickly sweet as he went to stand beside Sara, who briefly glanced over at him. "This is Jay, everyone!" Chris introduced, tipping his head as Jay's smile went from friendly, to downright creepy. "..This is frightening me! BUT, if I can count, which I can, there are twelve of you here! We have reached the halfway point!"

Chris turned to face the camera. "What will the other half of them be like? Have we already met our winner? Don't go away folks, we'll be right back!"

 **(Commercial Break)**

Chris smiled brightly at the camera, resting his hands on his hips. "Welcome back! We're just in time to meet our next contestant-"

Just as he was about to say her name, she approached, obnoxiously popping a piece of gum within her lipstick stained lips. Adjusting her Ray Ban sunglasses, the tan blonde ruffled her high pony, looking around at her contestants. She sneered, looking to Chris. "Really? Out of so many more, well, attractive options, THIS is what you settled with? I have to say, putting me, a 10, amongst the slew of 5s, will definitely make me appear more like a 12." Brittany smiled, walking over to the other end of the dock, people parting the way for her as if she were Moses and they were the Red Sea.

"Brittany!" Chris finished with the same enthusiasm that he had when he started. Mariana narrowed her eyes at Brittany, biting the inside of her cheek in annoyance. Brittany practically screamed mean girl; from her white jeans, black scoop-necked top, and black high-heels. But, that was nothing compared to the next contestant.

He was inherently super handsome, with extremely pale skin, bleached blonde hair with fiery ginger roots, forest green eyes, his hair styled into a quiff. He wore a casual white button up, his sleeves cuffed up to his elbows, a tie loosely fastened around his neck. Two bracelets were circling his wrists, a choker on his neck, ripped skinny jeans, held up with a neon pink belt, and boat shoes.

"Meet Albhe, ladies and gents!" Albhe practically had smirk plastered along his modelesque features as he made a beeline right to Brittany, not even bothering to greet Chris. "Has anyone told you that you look much like an angel?" He asked, the speech rolling off his tongue in a languid manner. Brittany smiled at him, but stepped away so Maeve was between the two.

Albhe looked down at Maeve, moving his hand to touch her kinky curls. "Clearly, this is your first rodeo with natural hair. I am not an animal, you cannot pet me." Maeve said, her voice and face monotonous as she continued looking forward, just as the boat pulled into the dock. "Damn." Albhe chortled, folding his arms over his chest. "I hope you're on my team."

Elizabeth shook her head, almost as if she pitied the male, and Henry stood protectively beside her, now opting to rise to his feet. Though the next contestant had just stepped onto the dock, people were already whispering to themselves over who it was, so much so that Chris didn't even have to introduce her. Lauren approached, her green eyes bright with glee, her black locks moving to her back, dyed red and blonde at the tips. She wore a white rainbow t-shirt, white tights, a light blue flashy skirt, and black Mary-Janes. She also wore a pink heart necklace, on a silver chain.

"I very much enjoy your choice in t-shirt!" Hannah yelled from the back, pointing to it approvingly. Lauren nodded her head, scrunching her nose up as she went to stand beside Adam. "I like the necklace." Adam whispered, gesturing to it. "It's a nice touch." He nodded approvingly, accidently bumping into Sara. "W-Woah! Sorry.." He cleared his throat, awkwardly looking away as Sara glared at him. "Better be glad you didn't scuff up my shoes."

Joshua was the next one to arrive, enthusiastically hopping off the boat that brought him. His jet black hair went to his shoulder, his ice blue eyes moving from Chris, to his fellow contestants. He wore a white shirt with a red rose on it, a black leather jacket, a Celtic Cross necklace, black sweatpants with red stripes, and black sandals. "Can I introduce myself? I think I could that really well." Joshua asked, clamping his hands together in a begging formation. Chris raised his eyebrows, slowly nodding his head.

"Meet Joshua! He's pretty funny, tall, and has a killer head of hair!" He introduced, evoking some laughter and claps from the fellow contestants. "Man, this guy is a trip!" Danny exclaimed, slapping his palm against his knee. "Speaking of trip, everyone, meet Daniel! I actually have no idea why I said that, it was a segue into the introduction of the next character, and I took the opportunity." Chris shrugged his shoulders, holding his hand out to high-five the next contestant.

Daniel stepped off, his empty oculars scanning everyone over, the mere look being enough to cause them to fall silent. His blue eyes had bags beneath them, his short grey hair being quite a distinguishable feature, his outfit consisting of a white t-shirt beneath a red hoodie, blue jeans, and black sneakers being quite plain. Daniel took one look at the hand, and kept walking, moving to stand beside Jayden.

"Something tells me I'm going to like you." Jayden murmured, Daniel lazily turning his head and raising his brows skeptically at the male. "Cool, I guess."

The sound of Latin music roared in the distance, a beautiful, tan female stepping off from the boat, her bright green eyes bright due to her wide smile, her dark brown hair curling to her shoulders. A casual red, sweater dress hugged her features, white tights concealing her tan legs, black boots upon her feet. "Ximenia Lucia Verónica Florez! Quite an honor to have you!" Chris greeted, escorting her over to where the other campers stood.

"Why is it an honor?" Sara inquired, her voice having much more of an edge to it than intended. Ximena gasped, throwing her arms in the air. "Why, I am a telenovela star!" She rasped, much dramatism to her voice. Sarah adjusted her red-framed glasses. "It seems as though this season has already gotten some familiar faces."

"Excuse me, Chris?" A pompous voice cooed, a male with wide, green eyes, short blonde hair, adorned in a white dress shirt with a blue tie, a black jacket, and black pants asked, holding multiple bags in his hands. "I was just wondering if these commoners had already had the chance to pick their beds in the cabins? I believe I need ample room to hang my delicates."

Chris shook his head, sniggering in delight. "No, Johnathon, we have not. Might I say, I am SUPER glad that you are EXACTLY the way you are in your audition, dude." Johnathon went to stand beside Ximenia, glancing to his left at Danny. "Ugh, a commoner from the south!"

"Oh my." A meek voice intervened, a girl with a brown ponytail, brown eyes, and wearing a white and pink chiffon tank top, with blue jeans and running shoes stepping forward. "Please do not fight! We are more than labels, right?" Rosa smiled hopefully, Mariana nodding in agreement with the female, and Elizabeth shooting her a supportive grin.

"Rosa, sorry for you to have to be acquainted on the wrong foot, but that's showbiz!" Chris snapped his fingers, Rosa hurriedly joining the other contestants.

"WOOHOO!" A female voice yelled, jumping off the deck of the boat onto the dock, landing onto her feet, though her knees buckled slightly. Her muddy green eyes moved to Chris, her peach-colored hair high ponytail swaying from side to side. She moved her bangs away from her left eye, her pink camisole white skinny jeans with rips in the knees, her navy blue hoodie, her black tattoo style choker, and her black and gold studded combat boots matching her personality perfectly. "Hey guys! Radical show we have here! I can't wait to get to know all of you. Gosh, my knees took a hit, but that jump was so fun!" She dashed over to the other contestants, excitedly bouncing up and down.

"That's Cami, everyone!" Chris introduced, turning his back to the teens to watch the next boat move over the horizon. "Are you okay? Your knees seem a bit weak." Mariana worriedly observed, resting a gentle hand on the female's shoulder. Cami laughed, nodding her head at her. "I'm a bit uneasy, but it was super fun, so it's worth it!" Daniel huffed at the female's never-ending joy, his hands moving across his eyes.

Graham exited the ship next, his nose stuck in the latest manga that he had become absorbed into. His round, sapphire-hued gaze frantically skirted across the pages, his eyes widening ever so often. He had brown hair, and was wearing a brown hoodie, dark blue jeans, and white and blue tennis shoes.

"This is Graham, kiddos! Be nice to him, heck, what do I care, do what you want!" Chris tossed his hand, dismissing the subject with a rather dark chuckle.

Johnathon scoffed at Henry, who was growling at him. "Call animal control on this pest!" Johnathon put Maeve in between Henry and him, making Maeve glare up at him. "Why am I a barrier for everyone today?"

"Don't worry, guys, we're just about to be done. Meet Jerry!" An average height male stepped onto the dock, his thick and stout build automatically setting off vibes about him. His green eyes narrowed at the contestants, his black hair moving straight to his shoulders. A pair of blue jeans covered his legs, a red t-shirt with a lion on it, and a black jacket finishing off his outfit. "Have you tried imitating a bird before? It's really quite fun."

Jerry began to move his arms, imitating a bird flapping his wings. Some contestants got a kick out of this, but others were CLEARLY weirded out by the display. "Can someone be sure he is sane enough to compete?" Brittany scoffed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, because if he messes up the moneymaker," Albhe gestured to his face, frowning, "then I will not be happy."

"Finally, our last contestant, Nicole!" A red-headed girl stepped off the ship, her curly locks moving down to her mid-back. Her green eyes were wide, a sinister smirk on her face. She wore a white short sleeved shirt underneath a green coat, a grey skirt that went to her knees, and green sneakers with grey socks. "You know Chris, your face would look really good on his body," she gestured Albhe. "Perhaps I will cut it off and put it on." She smiled, moving to stand next to everyone, who scooted away from her.

"And with that...disturbing and possibly incriminating display, we have our final contestant! With that, we're going to commercial. When we come back, get ready to see Chef, the confessional cams, the new teams, and our first challenge!"

 **(COMMERCIAL BREAK)**

Each of the campers positioned themselves either sitting on the tree stumps, or standing around them. Standing in front of them was Chris, and Chef, wearing his normal attire. Clearly, not a lot had changed in the years for the male. "Campers, the same rules will apply. If your team loses a challenge, they will be sent to the campfire ceremony, where they will vote one of their own off. That loser will be sent on the Boat of Losers, never to return!"

"Unless you are Izzy, she came back a bunch of times...I love this show." Jerry exhaled, correctly Chris with a grin. Chris rolled his eyes, continuing on. "Whenever you want to get something off your chest, you have the option of using our confessional cameras!"

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAMERA)**

"No one knew who I was?!" Ximena gasped, the sentence causing her eyes to grow wide. "Americans are so uncultured!

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAMERA)**

"To be honest, this could be worse." Sara shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head. "Who am I kidding? This sucks."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"Now, to present our teams. The following campers, please step to my left." Chris took a dramatic pause, everyone leaning on the edge of their stumps. "Cami, Graham, Ricky, Joshua, Elizabeth, Rosa, Sarah, Mariana, Ximena, Henry, Larry, and Jerry." Those campers got into formation, Chris tossing them a green flag.

"In order to pay homage to the original teams, we are going to have them have the same names. From this day forward, you are the Screaming Gophers!" Joshua and Cami cheered, high-fiving each other. "Our team is the best!" Ricky clapped his hands, and Henry howled in approval.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAMERA)**

Larry sighed in relief, a tranquil smile upon his face. "I'm not on the same team as my brother! Man, maybe this won't be so bad after all!"

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"The rest of you, stand to my right!" Chris demanded. "Maeve, Albhe, Adam, Jay, Sara, Nicole, Lauren, Hannah, Brittany, Daniel, Johnathon, and Danny!" Tossing them a red flag, Jayden and Sara caught it, narrowing their eyes at each other as Sara ripped it from his grip, chuckling menicingly. "From now on, you are the Killer Bass!"

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Lauren nodded her head in approval. "I think our team is full of winners!"

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Oh yeah, the Killer Bass, a team full of villains, Regina George part 2, two pretty boys, an SJW, a girl who I think may be on the Most Wanted list, a popstar, and Adam." Maeve clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, shaking her head. "I'm good at reading situations, and even though I just got put on this team, I can already tell this is gonna be rough."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"Chef! Won't you be so kind as to explain the challenge and which contestant it is based around?" Chris asked, stepping aside for the male to explain. Chef sighed, moving forward. "Sure, Chris, not like we didn't just script that or anything. ALRIGHT, MAGGOTS!" Chef yelled, bringing everyone to attention. "Your first challenge is based on Ezekial. After you last saw Ezekial, his family tried rehabilitating him, but realized he was happier on Boney Island, and so they let him go. We had to get a language and an animal specialist to talk to him, and he said he wanted this challenge to be...nostalgic."

Chef sniggered, gesturing to the cabins. "Get in your swimsuits kids, and get ready to go back to the first episode of Total Drama. Y'all suckas' are gonna be cliff-diving."

 **I HOPE YOU ENJOYED! be sure to review any predictions you may have, favorites, ships, etc. i would love to hear it!**


	6. Have You Tried Being a Bird?, PART 2

_**WOW! look at me, cranking out another chapter. i figured that due to me being on thanksgiving break, i should give you guys an explosion of plot before i become busy again. i hope you enjoy, and please review!**_

"Previously on Total Drama Return!" Chris gloated, shots from the previous episode invading the screen in fluorescent color. "24 new teens arrived on the new and financially tasking site of the new Total Drama, and it was clear from the get-go that not everything is what it seems with these campers!" A shot of Henry arriving appeared on his screen, followed by his howl.

"And the teens were given their first task, based off of the feral homeschool freak, Ezekiel!" An image of Ezekiel popped onto the screen, in all of his primal pride. The shot changed to Chris on the dock, walking across to the end. "Which team will conquer, and who will be taking the first rendezvous on the Boat of Losers? Find out this and more on,"

"TOTAL! DRAMA! RETURN!"

 **(OPENING INSTRUMENTAL OF THE THEME)**

It showed a sped up exterior of the island, just as the camp was being built atop of it, from day to night.

 **(DEAR MOM AND DAD I'M DOING FINE, YOU GUYS ARE ON MY MIND)**

The camera followed Chris as he walked across the dock, his face being dabbed with translucent powder by an anxious looking intern, while another held his Diet Coke, which he sipped with a cocky look on his face. As the powder accumulated in a cloud on his face, he sneezed, spitting the sticky, soda contents onto the poor intern that was serving him his drink.

 **(YOU ASKED ME WHAT I WANTED TO BE, AND NOW I THINK THE ANSWER IS PLAIN TO SEE)**

The camera zoomed in on the beach, where Graham was building a sandcastle, and Cami stepped across it, paying homage to the famous monster movie, 'Godzilla'. She laughed, and Graham rolled his eyes, face-palming in exasperation.

 **(I WANNA BE FAMOUS)**

The camera showed a shot of the center of the camp, with Jayden approaching Sara with a water gun, who was facing away from him. Suddenly, Sara sharply pivoted, revealing herself to be holding a water gun of her own, which she unleashed on Jayden with a maniacal cackle, chasing him off frame.

 **(I WANNA LIVE CLOSE TO THE SUN)**

Brittany sat outside of the Killer Bass cabin, wearing her white bikini, her figure being shaded by Danny, who was holding a large lead canopy over her, shaking his head in annoyance.

 **(SO PACK YOUR BAGS CAUSE I'VE ALREADY WON)**

The camera moved into the Killer Bass cabin on the boy's side, where Daniel laid snoozing on his bed, only to be awaken by Johnathon, who was trying to pick between two polo shirts, each of them slightly different hues of white. Daniel threw his pillow at Johnathon, causing Johnathon to scream.

 **(EVERYTHING TO PROVE, NOTHING IN MY WAY, I'LL GET THERE ONE DAY)**

The camera scooted to the stairs Gopher cabin, where Joshua and Sarah were doing impressions of celebrities, making Lawrence laugh, and then eventually fall backward.

 **(CAUSE I WANNA BE FAMOUS)**

The camera scooted inside of the dining hall, where Ricky and Adam were idly talking, Hannah watching eagerly from the side and nodding her head in approval. Chef watched, clearly fuming in anger as Mariana snuck into the kitchen, adding herbs and spices to whatever gruel he was cooking, prompting her to be chased out of the back door.

 **(NANANA'NANAANA NANA NANA)**

The camera zoomed out to reveal the theatre, where Rosa cheered over Lauren's performance, until she was pushed offstage by Ximena, a spotlight casting onto the female as she began to dramatically monologue, making Rosa cringe at the sight.

 **(I WANNA BE, I WANNA BE, I WANT TO BE FAMOUS!)**

The camera quickly moved into the forest, where Henry was swinging from the vines, Elizabeth latched onto his back, who was laughing hysterically. Henry released the vine, sending them both splashing into the water.

 **(I WANNA BE, I WANNA BE, I WANT TO BE FAMOUS)**

The water got onto Jerry, who was laying on the ground, making sand-angels, all while Nicole watched, maniacally moving her fingers against each other, a murderous grin on her face. Suddenly, Jerry tossed sand into the air, the sky changing from daytime to nighttime.

 **(WHISTLE)**

The camera moved to show Maeve standing in front of the campfire, Albhe desperately trying to woo Maeve. Just as he leaned forward to rest his arm upon her head like an armrest, Maeve stepped backward, causing Albhe to fall flat to the ground.

The camera zoomed out, revealing the campers surrounding the fiery inferno, the words 'Total Drama Return' appearing on the screen.

 **(START OF SHOW)**

The campers stood atop of the cliff, each of them wearing their swimsuits. "Campers! I will keep this brief, since I am assuming you are familiar with this challenge. Each of you will be jumping from this cliff, but this time around, there is no safe zone! It's all a matter of timing, people! Maybe you will encounter a shark, maybe you won't. If you decide not to jump, you will receive a 'Weenie Beanie'." Chris held up a blue beanie, identical to the one Ezekiel used to wear before he fell from graces.

Joshua chuckled, muffling the sound of his laughter with his palm. "He said weenie." He whispered, making Graham shake his head. "You have the sense of humor of a child."

"This is only part one of your challenge, campers! But, the team with the most jumpers will get an advantage with the next part, so keep that in mind." Chris announced, looking between the campers. "Alright, the K-"

Chris was cut off as Cami suddenly ran forward, wearing her neon pink bikini top and red boy shorts. "See you down there, suckas!" She hooted, jumping from the edge with a victorious howl, which was cut off as she hit the water. Chris clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, bitterly rubbing his hands together. "I WAS saying that the Killer Bass were going to go first, but clearly Cami had other ideas. Gophers, you're up!"

Ricky turned to look at his team, wearing a pair of classic black swim trunks. "Alright, who wants to go first? If we don't have volunteers, I am down with going." Ximena peered over the edge, cringing at the sight below her. "Go ahead, I do not want to get my swimsuit wet. It cost me a lot of money!" She gestured to the black one-piece that hugged her curves, flipping her dark brown curls over her shoulder.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Did she seriously say that she didn't want to get her swimsuit wet? When the entire point of a swimsuit is to BE wet?" Sarah incredulously reviewed the situation, making direct eye contact with the camera as she fell silent.

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

Ricky launched himself over the edge, his arms and legs flailing about as he yelled, hitting the water just as Cami climbed onto the boat, cheering at Ricky. Ricky emerged from the water, his hair hanging over his face, as he gave a thumbs-up back up to his team.

Elizabeth gulped nervously, glancing over her shoulder at Henry. "I-I'm not afraid of water, this is just really high up." She exhaled softly, an idea popping into Henry's head. "I will jump with you, we will knock two birds out with one stone, and you can have someone to jump with!" Henry hypothesized, approaching the edge, his green swim trunks catching the light. Elizabeth followed him to the edge, adjusting her white bikini. "Let's go!" She meekly exclaimed, jumping off, Henry closely falling suit.

They both hit the water, Henry popping up with Elizabeth, both of them laughing. Henry helped her onto the boat, which Elizabeth clearly appreciated.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Wow, that was really cool of Henry." Elizabeth admitted, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I can tell he's going to be a great…" She paused, trying to phrase her next word very carefully. "Friend of mine!"

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I'm a shy guy, I prefer to be alone, but Elizabeth understands me. She doesn't write me off because of my history." Henry rested his elbow atop his knee, his chin within his palm. "She's real sweet."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

Mariana was the next to go, who wore a white one-piece. As she jumped, she screamed, her eyes tightly shut.

Immediately following was Joshua, who was adorned in pair of blue swim trunks with images of Sonic and Tails plastered on them. He wooed and hollered, a wide grin on his face.

Then, it was Sarah, in her bright blue swim top with black shorts, and her glasses. "I am just glad they are staying on my face!" She yelled as she fell.

Ximena shook her head from the top of the cliff. "This is not happening, Chris. Just give me a beanie." Chris' hand extended off frame, holding a blue beanie in his grasp. Ximena situated it atop her head, looking to Graham, Rosa, Lawrence, and Jerry.

"Did you know that if you jump high enough, the water will just be like concrete, and you will smash against it?" Jerry insinuated, looking to the remaining contestants. Graham stepped forward, jumping off the edge just to rid himself from the company of Jerry.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Graham was still dripping wet, wearing his black swim trunks. "I just jumped to rid myself of the company of that guy. Why would you say that to people that are just about to jump off a cliff? That is just stupid."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

Rosa shook as a breeze blew against her, her blue and white floral bikini seeming to be just a nice aesthetic choice, instead of protecting her from the elements. Suddenly, she blinked, a rather sinister smirk on her face. Something had changed within the female- something for the sinister.

Stepping to Larry, who was looking over the edge as Graham got onto the boat, wearing red swim trunks, suddenly she pushed him, a loud scream following Larry down until he smashed into the water. Whistling innocently, Rosa stepped off herself, silent as she fell.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Rosa sighed, pouting her lower lip out in shame. "Lilith is my other personality. She's my only one, but she's not too kind to be around. I just hope she doesn't interfere with the competition."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I am an encyclopedic fan of Total Drama, and I believe I witnessed a personality shift, which was popularized by Mike and Mal during _Total Drama: All Stars."_ Jerry confirmed, suddenly falling silent. "I enjoyed watching Larry be pushed off, for his arms moved like a birds' would. I quite like birds."

( **END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

Jerry jumped off, adjusting his goggles on his head, wearing purple swim trunks with a yellow stripe. As he hit the water, Chris spoke. "That's it for the Gophers, and with only one weenie, the Bass have a lot to compete against. Will they strive?! What is part two of this challenge? Find out after the commercial break!"

 **(COMMERCIAL BREAK)**

"Welcome back! You're just in time to see which one of the Killer Bass is going to...take the fall!" Chris chuckled psychotically, much to the annoyance of Sara. "Not funny, Chris! I'll come over there and show you comedy!" Sara raised her fist, about to step to the male, when Maeve stepped between them, holding her arms out to separate the pair.

"Listen, I get that we aren't gung-ho and singing Kumbaya around a campfire anytime soon, but I will not allow myself to be lowered on a pedestal because my team is filled with incompetent children who cannot possibly surmise that the world doesn't revolve around what they want. So, jump." Maeve spoke in a ravish sentence, though her tone nor facial expression wavered.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Jay shivered, still clad in his blue swim trunks. "Sara's hot-headed, and Johnathon flaunts his money around to try and sway people over, and, not to toot my horn or anything, but I am the ultimate villain, but I think Maeve may give me a run for my money, and she's not even a bad guy…"

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Brittany folded one leg over the other, boredly filing her nails. "Maeve's all talk, she may seem like she is so placid, but once she snaps, it's gonna be glorious for the ratings." She giggled, flipping her blonde hair. "Just watch."

( **END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"Alright, alright! I'll get this ball rollin," Jay walked forward, purposefully brushing past Sara, who growled in aggravation. Just as Jay was about to launch himself off, Sara propelled herself behind him, pushing him, watching in morbid content as he fell.

"Hey, I'm gonna have to take the Weenie hat. I can't swim." Sara shrugged her shoulders, wearing her black one piece. "Sorry, Maeve, you're just gonna have to vote me off or kiss my ass." Sara proudly put the hat upon her head, Maeve's fists clenching ever so slightly.

Adam could practically feel the tension seeping into the air. He just wanted to rid himself of it, so he pulled up his purple swim trunks, which were a size too big, and he launched himself off the edge, still holding onto the sides of his swim trunks.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Adam sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "There's a lot of tension on the Killer Bass right now, and it's less than ideal." He leaned back, furrowing his brows. "I wish I was on the Gophers.."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"Y'all, my pop said we always had to be kind to one another. So, I will go ahead and jump." Danny piped up, wearing his green and blue swim trunks. "For the Killer Bass!" He chanted, pitching himself off the edge.

"How valiant." Daniel boredly interjected, his team turning to look at him. "Is that a cue for me? Oh my, you shouldn't have." Daniel yawned, wearing his red trunks, stretching his arms above his head, and simply jumping off, not bothering to say anything after that.

"So, Baby Bottle Pop, are you going to be jumping off next?" Albhe asked Maeve, bringing his lips down to her ear. Maeve stepped away, her swimsuit concealed by a large, grey t-shirt. "I wanted to see her go off before me." She gestured to Nicole, who was scheming in her pink bikini.

"Alright! I will go, but you all should beware, for I have a scheme in mind!" Nicole jumped off, a loud stream of rather insane laughter following her down.

"Can someone like, hospitalize her?" Brittany scoffed, wearing her classic white bikini, which exposed her belly button piercing. "By the way, I'm not jumping. I just got a keratin treatment before I came here with the same guy who does Kim Kardashian's hair." She ruffled her fingers through her hair, accepting the Weenie Beanie, but not putting it on her head. Instead, she simply held it.

"God, I'll go." Maeve removed her t-shirt, revealing her high-waisted, black bikini bottoms, and white bikini bottoms. To say that the girl was ripped was an understatement. Beneath the layers of her normal clothes, her muscles weren't visible, but the swimsuit revealed each muscular ripple in her back and arms, as well as her toned abdomen. Albhe suddenly darted forward, wearing a black Speedo, taking her hand and simply pulling her off with him.

As they hit the water, Maeve emerged, splashing Albhe furiously. "What the hell!?" Maeve actually raised her voice, clinging to the male's back and dunking his head under. "I swear to God, you are such a child." Albhe laughed, tossing her over his head.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

Albhe snorted, continuing to laugh. "Listen, my face is great. Men, women, dogs, cats, other domesticated animals, they all love it. I could hook up with Brittany, I think she's willing, even Sara would be fun, and I bet Nicole is into some weird stuff, but Maeve would be a challenge...and I'm all about a challenge." He winked.

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"Excuse me, I don't appreciate the sexist undertones that Albhe is exhibiting. It's misogynistic, and he should be castrated immediately." Hannah spoke from behind Lauren, wearing a pastel purple swim top and black shorts. "Microaggressions are apart of the reason that the male patriarchy prospers."

Johnathon pretended to vomit, wearing his expensive blue swim trunks. "Please, get me away from this vocal commoner!" He jumped off and Hannah followed, leaving Lauren to be last for the Killer Bass. "Mclean, this is the best experience of my life!" She laughed, adorned in her black and white one piece. She said this, before she jumped off.

"Well folks, that was the last contestant to take the fall. Ready to see part 2?! Don't go away, we'll be right back!" Chris segued into the commercial break.

 **(COMMERCIAL BREAK)**

The campers stood along the beach, large boxes having been placed in front of each team, with holes on the top. They were still clad in their swimsuits, the majority of them shaking due to the cold they felt. They hadn't exactly been provided with towels afterward.

"Campers! Time for part 2! Screaming Gophers, due to you only having one weenie, you get the advantage!" The Gophers cheered, while the Bass looked on, some in anger, some in envy. "The second part of your challenge, by Ezekiel's request, has to do with the more recent form of him…"

"You will have to tame a wild animal!" The boxes suddenly opened, revealing a bear in a cage on the side of the Killer Bass, and a wolf in a cage on the side of the Screaming Gophers. "Gopherinos, with your advantage, you will be given a single tip from an animal specialist, who has it written down on this car-"

Chris held the card in the air, and with one powerful gust of wind, the card flew away in the distance. "...Or not! You're on your own! First team to tame their beast wins!"

 **(KILLER BASS)**

"I know a thing or two about the horses on my farm, but I ain't ever seen a bear!" Danny looked over his shoulder, jumping as the bear growled at him. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but to be frank, I don't really care about having to give the bad news, it seems like we are hopeless. The other team has Mother Nature and Wolf Boy, so I say we just take a knee, surrender now, and spare the humiliation." Daniel rationalized, already starting to make himself a pillow out of sand.

"Come on, guys! Just be positive. If we put our minds to it, we can do it!" Lauren pumped her fist in the air, evoking quite the negative reaction out of Brittany. "Are those some of the lyrics to some of your lame teen-bops? Not interested!" The blonde girl snapped, making Lauren frown in discontent.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Lauren groaned in annoyance, tipping her head back. "I don't get why my team is filled with such downers! The only people I'm really getting along with are Adam and Danny...Maybe I could make an alliance with them."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"I am a vegan, as well as an associate of PETA, so I believe my vegan title will be able to sway the animal into caring for me." Hannah suggested, a tone of severity to her voice. "You know, you can be an associate of whatever organization you're unnaturally-dyed head can be apart of, it still won't erase the fact that you are the words-" Albhe began, Maeve's hand moving over his mouth to cut him off.

 **(SCREAMING GOPHERS)**

"Did you just lick my hand?!" Maeve's voice was heard, some of the Screaming Gophers looking at the opposite team. Ricky gestured to Elizabeth and Henry, moving away from the pair. "You guys have got this! This challenge was practically made for you!"

"Yeah, and if you get hurt, I am first aid and CPR certified, so I have got you!" Mariana gave them a supportive thumbs-up. Elizabeth and Henry exchanged glances, meandering to the cage that the wolf was contained in, and sitting in front of it.

"Hey there." Elizabeth softly cooed, moving her hand to clasp around the bar of the cage. "Would you like to be released?" Elizabeth hesitantly reached her hand inside, her fingers barely grazing the pelt of the grey wolf. The wolf's amber-hued glare softened, as Henry reached beside the cage, taking the key and unlocking the cage door.

The wolf jumped out, hopping into a defensive stance. Elizabeth gasped as Henry hopped in front of her, imitating the stance of the wolf.

The Screaming Gophers all hid behind one another, Ximena peeking out from behind Ricky. "This is more dramatic than episode 17, where I found out that my long-lost cousin is actually my sister!"

 **(KILLER BASS)**

"Guys, they're making progress!" Adam warned, looking back to his team. "We have to do something!" For once, Maeve was silent, as she tried to find a solution to the problem. Suddenly, the sound of the cage unlocking was heard, followed by sounds of slashing.

"NO WAY!" Sara screamed, pivoting rapidly on her heel to be met with the sight of the bear they were tasked to domesticate, dead upon the ground, Nicole holding a bloody knife. "Oops! It's dead!"

"You just pulled a Cincinnati Zoo and killed Harambe!" Jay yelled, just as the Screaming Gophers began cheering, the wolf having settled into Henry's lap, licking his face.

"The Screaming Gophers are the winners of the first challenge!" Chris looked down at the dead animal, releasing a long, pent-up sigh. "Killer Bass, considering that you probably just put a massive lawsuit upon my well-quaffed shoulders, get ready to vote off one of your own fish. Screaming Gophers, your reward is that you get your choice of pizza from a local pizza joint delivered tonight for dinner!"

Each of the Killer Bass turned to glare at Nicole, who innocently batted her eyelashes. "What?"

 **(COMMERCIAL BREAK)**

"We all know who is going home, right?" Johnathon asked the boys of the Killer Bass, sliding on his polo shirt. The guys nodded their head, when all of the sudden they heard knuckles rasping against the door. Albhe held up his finger, still shirtless, answering the door and leaning against the frame. "Hello, Lauren, my lavish contessa. Like what you see?"

Lauren cringed, clearly half-disgusted, yet half-amused over the man's feeble attempts at flirting. "Sorry, I like girls. But nice try, champ!" Patting his head, Lauren pointed at Adam and Danny. "You three, I have to talk to you."

Adam and Danny exchanged glances, following Lauren outside, and closing the door behind them. "Are 'ya alright, Miss Lauren?" Danny worriedly inquired, Lauren shaking her head in response. "I'm perfectly fine, but our team isn't. We all know we're a trainwreck, and so I suggest we form an alliance, and take each other to the final three. We're the most rational on the team, and we can carry ourselves to the end. What do you think?"

"I-I'm in!" Adam eagerly responded, shaking Lauren's hand. "I can't believe it! I'm actually making an alliance with the Countess Contessa!"

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I admire Lauren a lot." Adam smiled shyly. "She is so proudly her, from her personality, to her sexuality...I really wish I could be the same way."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"I say that it's a mighty good thing that Lauren makes an alliance with us." Danny confirmed, idly strumming his guitar. "Maybe she'll feature me on a song, but I could see her really being a leader. It's better than Maeve, that girl scares me with her big words and dead eyes."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"You cost us this round, you psychopath!" Brittany yelled, standing-off against Nicole on the girl's side of the Killer Bass cabin. "Why do you have to be edgy and angsty, you are such a trope!"

"Oh, she's a trope?! It's like you were copy-and-pasted from every coming of age high school story, you pathetic cliche!" Sara didn't want to stand up to Brittany, but her temper was rising by the minute.

"You know, I have read better fanfiction than this." Hannah removed her running mascara, still feeling the bile clamber up her throat as images of the dead bear on the ground flashed into her head.

Maeve covered her head with a pillow, looking outside of her window to see Albhe. He gestured for her to come outside, which immediately set her off. What could he possibly want? Maeve exited the cabin, arms folding over her chest. "It's like World War III in there."

"Yeah, we could all hear it from the guy's side, we have a pool as to who is going to snap first. We think Sara is going to cut either your or Nicole's hair off." Albhe admitted, as Maeve went to touch her hair. "What do you want, Albhe? To tell me to protect my locks from extermination?"

Albhe brought himself to her level, considering that he was nearly a foot taller than her. "Look, a little birdie informed me, that little birdie being me being an eavesdropping snake, that Lauren, Danny, and Adam are forming an alliance. I have a proposition; we could form an alliance."

Maeve opened her mouth to interject, but Albhe cut her off. "Listen, you're a frigid bitch, but you are a SMART, frigid bitch. I'm a social guy, and my charisma and looks get me friends. You need someone like me to make you look good, whether you like it or not." Albhe stood back, putting his hands on his hips. "Think of me like your handsome, campaign manager." He winked to Maeve, who rolled her eyes.

"You have a valid point. You're essentially my FOIL, every good protagonist needs one." Maeve reasoned, which made Albhe once again roll his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, with your big, English words. Who do you want to go home, Baby Bottle Pop?"

 **(CLOSING CAMPFIRE)**

Chris stood at the podium, holding a plate of 11 marshmallows on a plate. "Campers, your votes are in. If I call your name, you are safe...for now. If you are not called, you are to get on the Boat of Losers, and get the heck out."

Chris plucked a marshmallow from his plate, aiming it toward the first camper. "This first camper safe is...Adam!" Adam grinned, catching his marshmallow and stuffing it into his mouth. "Maeve!" Maeve raised her hand, catching it with one hand, and tossing it into the fire. She wasn't one for sweets.

One by one, each camper was called, until Nicole and Brittany were left. "Ladies, only one marshmallow remains. Brittany, your attitude has set some campers against you, and you didn't jump today. Nicole, you literally killed the token that would have caused your victory. The final marshmallow goes to…"

"Brittany!" Brittany caught the marshmallow with a sly chuckle, taking a small bite from the opposite end. Nicole gasped, shooting to her feet. "Impossible! I will get revenge on all of you that voted me off! I swear it!"

"Oh, want to know who they were? Take a look!" Chris gestured to his left, just as a TV rolled on. There was static, followed by the campers saying who they voted for in their confessionals.

 **(VOTER CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"Am I stupid? Of course, I'm voting off Nicole. Like I said from the start, that psycho needs to be checked." Brittany glared off to the side.

"Bye, Nicole! I hope PETA sues you, and I am going to write an enraged rant about you on my blog, just you wait." Hannah waved her fingers to the camera, narrowing her eyes in anger.

"She pulled a Harambe! How can I not vote off that crazy?!" Jay gasped, still in disbelief over what he witnessed earlier that day.

"Nicole. That is all. I don't think a reason is necessary as to why I am voting her off, just rewatch the episode. That girl was trouble from the start." Daniel articulated.

It was clear that every camper, but Nicole, had chosen to vote her off. Maeve's tape was last, the same monotonous expression on her face. "My decision is based on fact. Fact: Nicole is too destructive. Fact: Nicole acts based on the heat of her emotions, something that shows that she isn't a reliable teammate. Fact: I just don't like her, to be honest."

 **(END OF VOTING CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

Nicole was escorted out by Chef, who was carrying her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. As the Boat sailed away, her string of expletives were audible, from the moment she disembarked, to when she cleared the horizon.

"Alright, Killer Bass, maybe next time will be a more successful adventure, and a less bloody one. Get to bed!" Chris demanded.

As the Killer Bass were walking back, Ricky sat on the stairs of the Gopher cabin, laughter audible as the sound permeated from the wooden exterior, a piece of pizza on a plate. As Adam walked by, Ricky called to the male, who stopped in his tracks. "Hey, Adam! I got you a piece of pizza, I'm lactose-intolerant, can't eat it." Ricky sheepishly smiled, strands from his man-bun falling into his face.

Adam blinked down, obviously taken back by the act of kindness. "Oh...Thanks so much, Ricky. This is really cool of you." His cheeks flushed a vague shade of pink, the sight making Ricky grin. "No problem. Sleep well!" Ricky darted inside.

This left Adam outside, grinning like an idiot down at a slice of pizza.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Adam smiled dumbly, continuing to chuckle. "You know what? Maybe I'll stick around for a while."


	7. A Cada Cerdo Se Llega Su San Martín

_**! WOW I LOVE THIS CHAPTER!**_ _ **hands down**_ _ **my favorite i have written thus far. i hope you enjoy :)).**_

"Previously on Total Drama Return!" Chris began the show, shots from the previous episode taking over the screen. "The campers were tasked with a familiar challenge; to take a cliff dive into the murky waters below! The Screaming Gophers managed to sail, while the Killer Bass just flopped."

"After, they had to domesticate a wild animal. Elizabeth and Henry proved themselves with some wicked, domesticating abilities, while Nicole was just wicked, and she killed the animal they were given to tame! Ouch, rough loss for the Killer Bass!"

"Lauren, Adam, and Danny formed an alliance, followed by Maeve and Albhe. At the campfire, the first loser was, not shockingly, Nicole."

Chris appeared at the edge of the cliff, looking down below him at the crashing waves against the rocky cliff-side. "Will the Killer Bass work together? Are there sparks of romance flying between campers? Find out this and more on this dramatic episode of,

"TOTAL! DRAMA! RETURN!"

 **(OPENING INSTRUMENTAL OF THE THEME)**

It showed a sped up exterior of the island, just as the camp was being built atop of it, from day to night.

 **(DEAR MOM AND DAD I'M DOING FINE, YOU GUYS ARE ON MY MIND)**

The camera followed Chris as he walked across the dock, his face being dabbed with translucent powder by an anxious looking intern, while another held his Diet Coke, which he sipped with a cocky look on his face. As the powder accumulated in a cloud on his face, he sneezed, spitting the sticky, soda contents onto the poor intern that was serving him his drink.

 **(YOU ASKED ME WHAT I WANTED TO BE, AND NOW I THINK THE ANSWER IS PLAIN TO SEE)**

The camera zoomed in on the beach, where Graham was building a sandcastle, and Cami stepped across it, paying homage to the famous monster movie, 'Godzilla'. She laughed, and Graham rolled his eyes, face-palming in exasperation.

 **(I WANNA BE FAMOUS)**

The camera showed a shot of the center of the camp, with Jayden approaching Sara with a water gun, who was facing away from him. Suddenly, Sara sharply pivoted, revealing herself to be holding a water gun of her own, which she unleashed on Jayden with a maniacal cackle, chasing him off frame.

 **(I WANNA LIVE CLOSE TO THE SUN)**

Brittany sat outside of the Killer Bass cabin, wearing her white bikini, her figure being shaded by Danny, who was holding a large lead canopy over her, shaking his head in annoyance.

 **(SO PACK YOUR BAGS CAUSE I'VE ALREADY WON)**

The camera moved into the Killer Bass cabin on the boy's side, where Daniel laid snoozing on his bed, only to be awaken by Johnathon, who was trying to pick between two polo shirts, each of them slightly different hues of white. Daniel threw his pillow at Johnathon, causing Johnathon to scream.

 **(EVERYTHING TO PROVE, NOTHING IN MY WAY, I'LL GET THERE ONE DAY)**

The camera scooted to the stairs Gopher cabin, where Joshua and Sarah were doing impressions of celebrities, making Lawrence laugh, and then eventually fall backward.

 **(CAUSE I WANNA BE FAMOUS)**

The camera scooted inside of the dining hall, where Ricky and Adam were idly talking, Hannah watching eagerly from the side and nodding her head in approval. Chef watched, clearly fuming in anger as Mariana snuck into the kitchen, adding herbs and spices to whatever gruel he was cooking, prompting her to be chased out of the back door.

 **(NANANA'NANAANA NANA NANA)**

The camera zoomed out to reveal the theatre, where Rosa cheered over Lauren's performance, until she was pushed offstage by Ximena, a spotlight casting onto the female as she began to dramatically monologue, making Rosa cringe at the sight.

 **(I WANNA BE, I WANNA BE, I WANT TO BE FAMOUS!)**

The camera quickly moved into the forest, where Henry was swinging from the vines, Elizabeth latched onto his back, who was laughing hysterically. Henry released the vine, sending them both splashing into the water.

 **(I WANNA BE, I WANNA BE, I WANT TO BE FAMOUS)**

The water got onto Jerry, who was laying on the ground, making sand-angels, all while Nicole watched, maniacally moving her fingers against each other, a murderous grin on her face. Suddenly, Jerry tossed sand into the air, the sky changing from daytime to nighttime.

 **(WHISTLE)**

The camera moved to show Maeve standing in front of the campfire, Albhe desperately trying to woo Maeve. Just as he leaned forward to rest his arm upon her head like an armrest, Maeve stepped backward, causing Albhe to fall flat to the ground.

The camera zoomed out, revealing the campers surrounding the fiery inferno, the words 'Total Drama Return' appearing on the screen.

 **(START OF SHOW)**

Everyone was eating in the dining hall, obvious levels of tension flaring between the two teams. On the Gopher side, everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves, everyone included in conversation. It was a juxtaposition to the Bass side, where everyone was broken up into separate conversations.

"So, what do you think the next challenge is going to be?" Ximena asked, her fork prodding at her eggs, which the campers had decided to call 'Chef's Surprise Eggs', because a lot of the time, if one was lucky, they could see where Chef had run out of eggs, and just threw in random, miscellaneous objects. Larry had found a memory card at one point.

"Considering that we are going in the order that the contestants were eliminated on TDI, I would say that due to it being Eva, it will be physically exhausting. Possibly something that will serve as an outlet to her rage, too." Sarah keenly observed, pushing her glasses up her nose.

"Oh goodness, I hope I don't have to fight anyone, I don't do violence." Mariana asserted, Elizabeth nodding her head in agreement.

Jerry leaned forward onto his elbows, clearing his throat for the others to pay attention to him. "If I may interject, I would like to say that the other team would be okay with playing dirty and being violent, as they are filled to the brim with the unwashed miscreants of this competition."

The camera panned over to the Bass table, where Daniel looked over his shoulder, catching the tail-end of Jerry's comment. "What did that freak just call us?" He inquired, sliding his gaze back to his team. Everyone shrugged their shoulders, when suddenly Sara cracked a wicked smirk.

"Hey, this challenge is based around Eva, so maybe we'll have an opportunity to really thrive, maybe even get some punches in." She hypothesized, taking a sip of hot tea with a wicked waggle of her brows. Adam and Danny exchanged nervous glances, while Lauren awkwardly cleared her throat.

"We would do well in a physical competition, especially if it involves fighting. Our team members aren't afraid to be ruthless, and I believe that commonly negative trait will actually serve to our benefit." Maeve replied to Sara, nodding her head in agreement to Sara, who appeared quite surprised by the comment.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Sara adjusted her ponytail, and then leaned forward, beginning her tangent. "Okay, Maeve assumes that because she's a brain, or whatever, she can just mosey on in and become leader of this team. But, even though she has moments where I want to rip those curls out of her head, there are also moments where I actually sort of admire her. Hell, I know I couldn't keep it as cool as she has so far, so props to her." She flashed a thumbs-up to the screen.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Maeve straightened her posture, folding her hands delicately across her kneecaps. "At school, I am the President of Student Council, National Honors Society, BETA Club, and I lead a student coalition that defends against bullying. I have a 4.6 GPA, and I also play field hockey. It can become stressful, so I release my stress through Crossfit and kickboxing." She exhaled softly, patting her muscular biceps. "It's all very cathartic."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"Campers! Are you ready for your next challenge?!" Chris exclaimed as he sauntered into the dining hall, his hands folded behind his back. "That is a trick question, because regardless if you are ready or not, the challenge will go on either way."

"Clever, Chris!" Joshua pointed at Chris from across the room, acknowledging his wit. "I admire that jest!" Albhe face-planted against the table, smacking it against his forehead over and over again. "Why is everyone talking like a Shakespearean asshole today?"

Chris snapped his fingers, gesturing them to go out the door. "Everyone, get your swimsuits on and meet me on the beach, we have a challenge to get to!"

 **(GOPHERS: GIRL'S SIDE)**

Daniel strolled by the girls' side of the Gophers cabin, fully intending on heading to the beach, until he heard the whispers of Rosa from behind the cabin. Needless to say, curiosity got the best of him, and he slinked to the back of the cabin, peeking out to observe Rosa having a heated argument with...what appeared to be herself.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Daniel rubbed his eyes, which always seemed to have bags hanging beneath them. "Okay, either that girl has a killer imaginary friend, or something is wrong with her. It would be so awful if this got out to the rest of the Gopher team and it threw off their perfect equilibrium." Daniel mused, a lazy, yet roguish grin sliding onto his lips.

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

Daniel jogged up beside Larry and Graham, tossing his arms across their shoulders. "Hey, something is up with your girl Rosa. She was talking to herself about, 'not wanting to be taken'. I don't want to stir the pot, but I just thought someone should know." Daniel walked away, Graham pausing where he was, a skeptical brow raising at Daniel. "Why should we trust you?"

Daniel turned on his heel, putting his palm to his heart in mock offense. "If I wanted to let this continue to fester, I wouldn't have said anything. Of course, we're going to merge at some point, so I might as well try to make good now." Daniel shrugged his shoulders, jogging to join both Jay and Sara, who were just ahead of them.

"Y-You don't think something is wrong, do you?" Larry dictated, glancing to Graham for a response. Graham sighed, averting his gaze to his feet. "I don't know, maybe we shouldn't discount what he says though, he could be onto something."

 **(COMMERCIAL BREAK)**

"Campers, today our challenge is going to be based around one of my personal favorite contestants, Eva!" The name itself made a few campers cringe. "After Total Drama, Eva went on to enter the world of body-building, and eventually training. She has a practice for women in San Francisco, where she lives with her partner, Yvonne." At the mention of Eva being a lesbian, Hannah pumped her fist in the air, nodding in agreement.

"Eva was very excited to create not one, but two challenges for us, due to her having two eliminations in the season of _Total Drama Island._ Your first challenge is gonna test your might, speed, and strength!" Chris gestured behind him to a pole in the shallow surface of the water, a green and red ring attached by a hook, with two poles with the Gopher flag and the Bass flag on the shoreline.

"You will break off into pairs of two, and you and your partner will race to grab the buoy. Whoever has it will have to try to get it to their teams' respective pole, while the other team tries to stop them and take the buoy, hoping to do the same. If someone has the buoy and touches their pole, then their team will receive a point. The first team to three points will win a special reward...a special dance party on the beach."

Lauren and Adam exchanged excited glances at the prospect of a possibility to bond with the Bass. "Everyone, get into your first pairs!"

Jay and Sara stepped forward for the Bass, Larry and Sarah doing so for the Gophers. "Wow, looks like we've got a battle of the Sara's, and a sibling rivalry on our hands. It's gonna be good!" Chris climbed atop of a lifeguard stand, a megaphone grasped tightly in his right hand.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Sarah anxiously glanced from left to right, fidgeting with her glasses. "The Bass are the more physically strong of the two teams, even if we have Henry. They are not afraid to bend the rules to win, and they will use the anger they feel for each other as a vehicle for violence this challenge. It's easy for me to say that the Bass are going to win."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"On your mark, get set, GO!" Chris declaimed through the static machinery of the megaphone. Jay and Sara sprinted forward, Larry and Sarah on their tails. Suddenly, Larry grabbed onto the buoy, Jayden grabbing the other end of it. "Little brother, you have to let go!" Jayden snarled, pulling the buoy toward him.

"Little brother?! I'm younger than you by 5 minutes! That's hardly a difference!" Larry tugged the buoy toward him, grunting in annoyance. It was like a game of tug-of-war between the two siblings, and Chris was eating up the drama by each, delectable spoonful.

Sara hollered in the distance, harshly pushing Sarah off to the side, flinging the female's glasses off her face into the water. "My prescription!" Sarah assented, diving after the red-frames glasses. Sara grabbed the side of the buoy Jay desperately clung onto, suddenly pushing it forward, hitting Larry in the face with the buoy with a harrowing 'POW'. Taking the the ring from Jay, Sara pumped her fist to the Killer Bass, who were all jumping for joy at the display.

"This is the best challenge yet!" Sara cackled, sloshing through the water and back to the Bass pole, grabbing onto it with her left palm, a cocky smirk on her face as she leaned against it, gandering fondly at the aftermath of her destruction; Larry holding his nose in pain, and Sarah fishing her glasses from the water, but she frowned when she saw Jay, appearing as if he was admiring a piece of fine art.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Jay, still with the dumbstruck look plastered across his features, leaned forward with a contented sigh. "Imagine having the most amazing piece of food, such as a piece of cake for the sake of this hypothetical. Now, imagine eating that cake for the rest of your life, and never getting tired of it. That's how I felt when I looked upon Sara in that moment...though I hardly would call her a cake," He laughed, narrowing his eyes mysteriously. "More like a spicy curry, that burns in the best way."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

Johnathon looked up to Sarah as she waddled back to the Gopher side, his hands cupping around his mouth to make the sound escaping his lips louder. "Hey, Velma! I could loan you some money, as it appears you need more fashionable frames!" The comment made Brittany laugh, gingerly slapping him upon the bicep. "Commoners and their neon colors." He added to Brittany, shaking his head in disgust at the mere thought of a bright fluorescent upon his skin.

Mariana viewed Johnathon with aversion, opening her mouth to retort on her own, when Ricky stood between them. "It's not worth it, they're just trying to get a rise out of you. Let's just leave it all in the challenge, alright?" He spoke with pure hope, looking at the Bass side to see Adam.

"I'm sorry." Adam mouthed with a contrite shrug of his shoulders. Ricky smiled in in response, throwing his hands up as if to say "what can you do?", winking back at the male.

Adam cleared his throat, hurriedly turning away with wide eyes, Lauren looking upon him in confusion. "Indulge me later." She articulated, pointing markedly at the male as she stepped forward with Danny to represent the Killer Bass in the next round.

"Oh, let me represent us, guys!" Cami perked up on the Gophers' side, jumping up and down with her hand raised. "I am like super agile, and I love being able to just run around, nyoom, like a race-car, right!?" She smiled widely, being cut off as Rosa suddenly shoved herself forward. "I want to play." There was a difference to her voice, a darkness to it that made Graham tip his head in interest.

"Okay, no problemo." Cami stood back, holding her palms out in surrender. "Dang, tough crowd." She mumbled to Graham.

Joshua moved beside Rosa, wary in his eyes as he examined her. Even Chris seemed to notice the change in demeanor from the usually kind girl. "Uh, go!" He leaned back in his seat, drumming his fingers against the armrest of his chair.

Rosa tackled Lauren into the water, a devilish beam on her face as she fought the female. "Go get the damn buoy, Joshua!" Rosa, or more accurately, Lillith demanded, Joshua stepping back from observing the altercation, to snatching the buoy from the pole.

"Oh dang, Lauren!" Danny picked up Rosa, holding the girl by her waist from behind against his chest, his eyes growing in size as she began to snarl, much like a wild animal. "I haven't even handled a slippery pig like this!" He made known, flinching as Lillith began swinging her fists.

"Danny! The buoy!" Lauren contested, shooting to her feet, just as Joshua touched the pole for the Gopher's side. "The Gophers take the second round! We are tied one-to-one, and this drama is becoming unbearable for even me, the king of drama!" Chris revealed, turning to look at the camera. "Who will take home the final point?! Don't go away, we'll be right back!"

 **(COMMERCIAL BREAK)**

The Killer Bass feverishly discussed among each other, some talking heatedly with their hands as the words spewed from their lips. "I did not expect that small girl to unleash such fury! We have underestimated them." Johnathon sermonized, looking fixedly upon the Gophers. "I believe that Brittany and I should represent the Bass in the next round."

Hannah shook her head, waggling her finger in disagreement. "According to your character archetypes, neither of you will last against whoever the Gophers put in the game." As if on cue, Elizabeth and Henry stepped forward for the Gophers. "Come on, Gophers! Kick some ass! Come on, Gophers! Bye, bye, Bass!" Cami cheered, jumping up and down and pumping her fists in the air, just as Graham rested his hand on her shoulder, patting it to calm the female down.

Hannah pushed her glasses up her nose. "As this is the battle of the OTPs, and Ricky and Adam are on separate teams so they cannot compete, I say that Maeve and Albhe go on forward." Hannah rationalized, Adam throwing up his arms. "I-I do not like Ricky!" He denied, making Lauren roll her eyes.

"Aw, hear that, Baby Bottle Pop? We are an OTP!" Albhe rested his arm against her head like an armrest. "I knew you were warming up to me!" Maeve took the male's ear, dragging him to the Bass pole. "Just be quiet, and let's win."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I have read plenty of yaoi in my life." Hannah began, smugly looking into the camera. "I have to say, Adam and Ricky have taken one of the top positions atop of my 'Favorite Couples' list. I fully intend to write fanfiction about them on my Total Drama side blog, dedicated to both non-canon and canon ships."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"Alright, teams, this one is for all of the marbles! On your mark, get set, FIGHT!" Chris howled, Henry and Elizabeth expertly traversing through the water. Maeve stood back for a moment, analyzing the situation, deciding to act based on strategy, instead of rash impulse. "Hey, ladies, I want to dance to some pop hits, so get moving!" Brittany shrieked.

"Let them get it, Albhe." Maeve asserted, tracing Elizabeth's moments as she snatched the buoy from the hook. "H-Henry, go long!" Elizabeth claimed, throwing the buoy as if it were a frisbee. Albhe darted forward, catching the buoy with both of his hands, Henry catching the other side. Henry's strength against Albhe was insurmountable, as he tugged the buoy to the side, throwing Albhe into the water. But, with desperation and rigor, he meekly clung onto the opposite side.

Elizabeth yelped, unsure of what to do in the situation. She was a confirmed pacifist, seeing this challenge as a hinderance for her. "L-Let him go!" Elizabeth ordered, gingerly trying to pull his fingers off. Maeve bit her lower lip, approaching the mass of tangled limbs. "Maeve! Kick him where it hurts!" Albhe echoed, poking his head from the water.

Maeve cleared her throat, using her height and petite frame to her advantage, and getting in the middle of the buoy. She felt herself being tugged from side to side, the rubber of the frame rough against her abdomen. "Let go!" Maeve launched her foot into Henry's groin area, surveying calmly as Henry backed away, gripping himself in a mix of both anger and pain.

"Oh my, Henry!" Elizabeth abandoned the buoy to aid her friend, the absence of the offending force making Albhe rise to his feet. "I meant the shin, but that place also causes massive amounts of pain!" He began to drag Maeve along with him, touching the Bass pole with a victorious grin.

"In a shocking turn of events, the Bass take it for the second challenge!" Chris hollered over the symphony of Killer Bass cheers. "Screaming Gophers, you guys have a date with the Closing Campfire, and one of you will get well-acquainted with the Dock of Shame, and the Boat of Losers! Get dried off!"

 **(GOPHER CABIN; GIRLS' SIDE)**

The girls had left to get showered, leaving Lillith and Ximena by themselves. "Hey, Rosa, are you okay? You were a bit violent at the challenge today, it sort of made me uneasy." Ximena inquired, laying out her outfit for the Closing Campfire.

Lillith cackled, turning to regard Ximena in bemused pity. Her hair had even changed, her bangs concealing her left ocular. "At least I actually gave a performance, unlike what you do on that lame telenovela. You have no use on this team beside looks, and even those are iffy. I would say do yourself a favor and vote yourself out, save yourself the humiliation." Lillith smirked, taking her towel and exiting the cabin, leaving a shocked Ximena behind.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Ximena yelled into her palms, looking up at the camera with fury glazing over her eyes. "Oh, she will regret stepping to me! I will make her sorry! Just watch."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

 **(GOPHERS CABIN: BOYS' SIDE)**

"I don't know about you guys, but Ximena has got to go." Ricky commented, shrugging his shirt over his head. Over the course of the competition, he had formed an alliance with Graham, Larry, and Joshua. "I know it seems like a random vote, but do you think we could talk to the others and talk them into doing the same?"

"I believe it is very much a possibility. Mariana, Sarah, and Elizabeth have their own alliance, and we have been nothing but friendly to them." Larry replied, looking to Graham to back him up. Graham cleared his throat, acknowledging that he was about to speak. "Yeah, and Elizabeth has Henry wrapped around her finger, so he will vote with her."

"I could talk to Jerry into doing the same, and hopefully escape the conversation before he starts talking about the history of the fork." Joshua decided, the sound of loud sobbing sounding from the girls' side of the cabin.

The boys darted outside, and then into the girls' side of the cabin, where they spotted Elizabeth desperately searching her bed, tears pouring down her cheeks as she began wheezing. "W-Where is it!?" She rasped between hiccups, ripping her blanket from her bunk.

"Where's what, love?" Mariana cooed, resting her hands on the girl's shoulder in hopes of putting her at some ease. "M-My sailor hat! I-I put it onto my bed to go back into the bathroom to brush my teeth, and when I came back, it was gone!"

Elizabeth collapsed into Mariana's arms, Henry standing protectively beside Elizabeth. "Guys, seriously, this isn't funny. Give the hat back." Henry demanded, a no-nonsense tone to his voice as he scrutinized each member of the Gopher team that was present.

Sarah moved to the other side of the cabin to another bed, seeing a bulge beneath the covers. Narrowing her eyes, her fingers daintily plucked the blanket, dropping it to the ground to reveal the sailor hat. "I found it! Someone hid it." Elizabeth tore herself from Mariana, hugging the hat to her chest as her sobs ceased to small hiccups. "Whose bed is that?" Graham inquired, turning his head just as Rosa entered, wearing her normal clothes, her hair wet, both of her eyes visible to her team mates.

"It's Rosa's." Cami confirmed, the mentions of her name making Rosa furrow her brows. "W-What about my bed?" She softly asked, stepping forward to delicately place her blanket in its normal position. "What happened, guys?"

"That wasn't cool, Rosa. That hat means a lot to Elizabeth." Mariana reprimanded, wrapping her arm around Elizabeth. Rosa quizzically regarded everyone's glares, her mouth opening in dismay. "I-I'm sorry, I don't know what you are talking about."

"Someone from the Killer Bass said they saw you talking to yourself today, and then you acted unlike yourself in the challenge." Graham cross-examined, his arms folding over his chest. Rosa's eyes widened in realization. "O-Oh! Lillith! S-She must have come out, she's my alternate personality, s-she stirs up a lot of trouble. I just want you guys to know that she doesn't represent my i-ideals at all."

Sarah bit her lower lip, still regarding Rosa with a frown. "How do we know she isn't here now and you're lying? What if you continue sabotaging your own team?" Rosa was at a loss of words, her head moving from side to side to make up for her lack of vocalization.

Henry began to escort Elizabeth out, everyone silently following behind them, leaving a speechless Rosa with her gaze transfixed onto the place where Elizabeth once stood.

 **(CLOSING CAMPFIRE)**

Chris was silent, raising his eyebrows as he noted the change in vibes from Gophers. "Alright, the camper who does not receive a marshmallow, will immediately go to the Dock of Shame, catch the Boat of Losers, and never return. Ever! Unless you are a fan-favorite, then we may bend our very bendy rules." With a greedy chortle, Chris drew a marshmallow from the table. "The first camper I am going to call is...Henry!"

Henry smiled, moving to get his from Chris. "Elizabeth!" The small female rejoiced, clapping her palms together and standing by Henry. They both fondly smiled at one another. "Mariana!" The maternal figure of the Gopher team proudly grabbed her treat, standing beside Elizabeth. "Ricky!" Ricky pumped his fist in victory, joining the group of safe members of the Gopher team.

"Sarah and Jerry!" Sarah silently went to grab hers, but Jerry moved forward, beginning to speak. "You know, the marshmallow first came into use as a medicinal substance, given that-" Chris cut the male off by shoving the sugary sweet treat into his mouth. "Joshua and Larry!" The two kind guys gave each other high fives, Larry even giving Joshua his marshmallow.

"Cami and Graham!" Cami shot to her feet, dancing around. "Can I get a hooyah!?" She pointed to her friends, laughing as they responded with a "hooyah" for good effort. Graham rolled his eyes, but smiled warmly at Cami, seeing her energy as endearing. This left one marshmallow left, between Ximena and Rosa.

"Ladies, there is only one marshmallow left. The camper that survives is…"

"Ximena!" The gorgeous actress rose to her feet, a regal grin on her face as she caught the marshmallow, taking a bite out of it. Rosa rose to her feet, wetting her lips to keep herself from crying. "I-I trusted you guys, and you hurt me." Rosa rubbed a single tear away with the heel of her hand, moving past Chris to the Dock of Shame.

The Gophers fell silent, Chris clearing his throat. "I don't know what the heck just happened, but I am digging the drama here, you guys! Really makes me look younger. Sort of funny that now you guys are SUPER negative, and the Bass are having the time of their lives, huh?" He laughed, all of the campers grimacing at Chris at his rather inappropriate comment. "Sheesh, tough crowd."

 **(KILLER BASS: DANCE PARTY)**

The party was simple, but the laughter that moved through the Bass campers was something short of euphonious. Christmas lights were strung across the two poles leftover from the challenge on the shoreline, vaguely lighting up the sand as a table with burgers and fries sat, the food demolished by the famished teens, a radio blaring some random country song.

"Alright, y'all! I am about to give y'all Yankees and others a good lesson in square-dancin'! After lessons with me, all y'all will be fixin' to be champs! Yee-haw!" Danny spoke out in glee, each of the campers joining in on the festivities in pairs; Jay and Sara, Adam and Lauren, Johnathon and Brittany, and even Daniel and Hannah were smiling along, slapping their legs to the beat of the fiddle and banjo.

Maeve sat off to the side, doodling a picture into the sand in a bored manner. "Hey, Baby Bottle Pop, you know the point of this thing is to dance and not sit there like a useless blob, a cute, useless, blob, but a blob nonetheless." Albhe began as he approached, sitting down in front of her.

Scrunching her nose up, Maeve leveled his gaze with his, looking over his shoulder at everyone. "They all are happy, it's really nice."

Sara poked Jay harshly in the chest as he stepped on her feet, to which he feverishly apologized over. "You had to have danced at your prom or something." The model countered, making Maeve look down. "I didn't go. I planned the entire thing, rented the DJ, ordered a ton of food from a nice French bakery, but I didn't go."

Albhe paused, an idea popping into his head. Shooting to his feet, he held his hand out to her, his opposite hand fixing his blonde hair. "Come on, you'll be surprised over how much fun you'll have. Plus, your face will freeze like that, and the industry thrives over freckles and dimples." He raised his brows expectantly, Maeve observing it for a moment.

Taking his hand, she walked forward, joining the fellow Bass members in their hoedown.

 **(GOPHER CABIN)**

While the other girls had fallen asleep, Ximena had stepped outside, wearing her bright red chemise and fuzzy slippers, to view the midnight sky, bright orbs of stars splattered randomly across the vast terrain. Her face, at first peaceful, metastasized into something more sly.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Ximena tossed her hair over her shoulder, adjusting the strap to her chemise. "You know, people want to write me off, because I may not be the most intelligent, and I have been fortunate in my life. But, I am smarter than I look, and I believe that Rosa, Lillith, whatever, she had it coming. There is a phrase in Spanish." She cleared her throat. " _A cada cerdo se llega su San Martín."_ Spanish sounded beautiful on her tongue; more sultry and languid.

"The literal translation says something about a pig getting his Saint Martin, but it means that everyone gets what they deserve. But, I know a performance when I see one,"

 **(FLASHBACK)**

"...Just watch." Ximena finished, exiting the confessional and advancing back into the Gopher cabin, murmuring sour words in Spanish. A flash of white caught her eye, her pacing halting to inspect the sailor hat that Elizabeth wore on a daily basis atop her bed, the very one that she wouldn't let anyone touch. Looking from left to right, Ximena snatched the sailor hat from the bed, veering to Rosa's bed, where the tucked the hat beneath her covers.

 **(FLASHBACK)**

The camera went to static, revealing the moment when Sarah had begun to question if Lillith was authentic or not. "How do we know she isn't here now and you're lying? What if you continue sabotaging your own team?" As Rosa fell silent, the camera displayed a shot of the Gopher teammates and their reactions, Ximena upon them, appearing just as heartbroken and ashamed as the person next to her.

 **(FLASHBACK)**

As Rosa darted from the Closing Campfire, Ximena continued to nibble on her marshmallow, looking at the faces of the campers next to her, and perfectly mimicking the disappointment; from the crease of her eyebrows, the frown upon her lips.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM: PRESENT DAY)**

"But what do I know?" She leaned forward, whispering to the camera. " _I'm a poor actress."_ Ximena sniggered, mocking the words that Lillith had said to her, just as the camera faded to black.

 _ **i know, this was a little bit of a downer to read, especially near the end. BUT! i am not writing this like the normal TDI, or many other SYOCs for that matter. moments of severity are needed for characters to grow, if things were always gung-ho, it wouldn't be realistic. expect the feels around the sadie and katie challenge, as MANY characters will grow then. but, the next chapter should be pretty lively. :))**_


	8. A Knot in the System

_**hey guys! so, i managed to crank this chapter out, and HOLY CRAP is it long. this chapter very much is maeve-centric near the end, but it's not for a dumb reason, just wait.**_

"Previously on Total Drama Return!" Chris began the show, shots from the previous episode taking over the screen. "The Killer Bass and the Screaming Gophers battled for a chance of a sweet reward, a beach dance party! At a nail-biting tie-breaker, Maeve and Albhe brought it together for the Bass, and they won their first challenge!"

"Tensions rose in the Screaming Gophers when Elizabeth's precious hat was seemingly hidden by Rosa, whose alter personality, Lillith, caused some problems in the challenge and within Ximena. Though she was perfectly fine, the team didn't believe her, and Rosa was the second camper to get the boot!"

"In a shocking turn of events, it was revealed that Ximena had set Rosa up for mocking her acting career and appearance. Man, I love drama!"

Chris appeared on the beach, sliding on a pair of sunglasses. "Who will take the immunity and reward this time? And what other drama will be revealed?! Find out all of this and more on,

"TOTAL! DRAMA! RETURN!"

 **(OPENING INSTRUMENTAL OF THE THEME)**

It showed a sped up exterior of the island, just as the camp was being built atop of it, from day to night.

 **(DEAR MOM AND DAD I'M DOING FINE, YOU GUYS ARE ON MY MIND)**

The camera followed Chris as he walked across the dock, his face being dabbed with translucent powder by an anxious looking intern, while another held his Diet Coke, which he sipped with a cocky look on his face. As the powder accumulated in a cloud on his face, he sneezed, spitting the sticky, soda contents onto the poor intern that was serving him his drink.

 **(YOU ASKED ME WHAT I WANTED TO BE, AND NOW I THINK THE ANSWER IS PLAIN TO SEE)**

The camera zoomed in on the beach, where Graham was building a sandcastle, and Cami stepped across it, paying homage to the famous monster movie, 'Godzilla'. She laughed, and Graham rolled his eyes, face-palming in exasperation.

 **(I WANNA BE FAMOUS)**

The camera showed a shot of the center of the camp, with Jayden approaching Sara with a water gun, who was facing away from him. Suddenly, Sara sharply pivoted, revealing herself to be holding a water gun of her own, which she unleashed on Jayden with a maniacal cackle, chasing him off frame.

 **(I WANNA LIVE CLOSE TO THE SUN)**

Brittany sat outside of the Killer Bass cabin, wearing her white bikini, her figure being shaded by Danny, who was holding a large lead canopy over her, shaking his head in annoyance.

 **(SO PACK YOUR BAGS CAUSE I'VE ALREADY WON)**

The camera moved into the Killer Bass cabin on the boy's side, where Daniel laid snoozing on his bed, only to be awaken by Johnathon, who was trying to pick between two polo shirts, each of them slightly different hues of white. Daniel threw his pillow at Johnathon, causing Johnathon to scream.

 **(EVERYTHING TO PROVE, NOTHING IN MY WAY, I'LL GET THERE ONE DAY)**

The camera scooted to the stairs Gopher cabin, where Joshua and Sarah were doing impressions of celebrities, making Lawrence laugh, and then eventually fall backward.

 **(CAUSE I WANNA BE FAMOUS)**

The camera scooted inside of the dining hall, where Ricky and Adam were idly talking, Hannah watching eagerly from the side and nodding her head in approval. Chef watched, clearly fuming in anger as Mariana snuck into the kitchen, adding herbs and spices to whatever gruel he was cooking, prompting her to be chased out of the back door.

 **(NANANA'NANAANA NANA NANA)**

The camera zoomed out to reveal the theatre, where Rosa cheered over Lauren's performance, until she was pushed offstage by Ximena, a spotlight casting onto the female as she began to dramatically monologue, making Rosa cringe at the sight.

 **(I WANNA BE, I WANNA BE, I WANT TO BE FAMOUS!)**

The camera quickly moved into the forest, where Henry was swinging from the vines, Elizabeth latched onto his back, who was laughing hysterically. Henry released the vine, sending them both splashing into the water.

 **(I WANNA BE, I WANNA BE, I WANT TO BE FAMOUS)**

The water got onto Jerry, who was laying on the ground, making sand-angels, all while Nicole watched, maniacally moving her fingers against each other, a murderous grin on her face. Suddenly, Jerry tossed sand into the air, the sky changing from daytime to nighttime.

 **(WHISTLE)**

The camera moved to show Maeve standing in front of the campfire, Albhe desperately trying to woo Maeve. Just as he leaned forward to rest his arm upon her head like an armrest, Maeve stepped backward, causing Albhe to fall flat to the ground.

The camera zoomed out, revealing the campers surrounding the fiery inferno, the words 'Total Drama Return' appearing on the screen.

 **(START OF SHOW; GOPHERS CABIN- BOYS' SIDE)**

The intermingling of insects was a cacophony, and to others, a melody. But, to the Screaming Gophers, it served as background noise to the various discussions occurring inside over the elimination.

"I'll be the one to say it," Joshua began from his spot, his legs hanging awkwardly down from the top bunk. "I feel bad- I genuinely feel awful over what we did." He paused, clearing his throat. "I know I'm usually very jovial about stuff, but even positivity gets tiring."

"It's the game, Joshua." Graham piped up from the floor after Joshua had finished speaking. "We're forced to be put into awkward situations that question our morals. Like Chris says, it's all about the drama." Graham feigned jazz-hands, laying back onto the floor so that he was looking at the ceiling. "I don't like drama in high school, and even more so here."

"We've all got both light and dark inside of us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That's who we really are." Jerry recited, tucking himself deeper into his covers. Larry turned his head at the familiar words, his eyebrows panging in recognition. "That's from Harry Potter! I knew I recognized it." Larry grinned, plopping down on the floor beside Graham.

"We just need to win more challenges." Henry moved his fingers through his hair as he hung upside down over one of the top bunks. "Keep ourselves from losing so that we don't have to betray anyone else." Henry optimistically suggested, looking at his cabin mates, as they appeared to be hanging on the ceiling due to him being upside down.

"As much as I hate to disagree, the point of the game is to betray one another. That's the drama part, that and romances, which are currently brewing, as I can see." Ricky smiled mysteriously to Henry, referencing to the growing relationship between him and Elizabeth. Henry huffed, puffing his cheeks full of air, and looking away.

"I could say the same about you, Ricky! You have been admiring a certain boy from the Killer Bass since we got here. Is a Romeo and Juliet affair in the air?" Larry leaned forward, Ricky throwing a wadded up t-shirt at him.

"Hopefully without the suicide stuff, sort of would bring down the whole romance." Graham leaned up, clambering into his bed, just as Joshua jumped down, striking a dramatic pose with his arms outstretched. "A plague a' both of your houses!" Joshua remarked, making Jerry shoot to his feet and pretend to stab himself.

"Romeo! Romeo!" Jerry stated as he went down, making choking noises as if blood was moving up his throat. "I should have waited for two minutes and then I would have seen that you were alive!"

 **(GOPHERS CABIN; GIRL'S SIDE)**

"Come on, guys! We have to be positive! It was only our first elimination, and we are all in it to win it! There's plenty more in store for us, so chin up!" Cami pressed, hoping to motivate the girls of her team. Mariana picked up her head, Elizabeth's head resting in her lap. "I always feel guilty about stuff like this. I hate making people feel bad." Mariana huffed, leaning her head back against her bed, which she was leaning against on the floor.

Elizabeth nodded her head from where she was comfortably relaxing, looking at Cami somberly. "We really appreciate you trying to pick us up, but we're all sort of down right now."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Ximena rolled her eyes, scoffing. "We knew Rosa for like, a week. It's not like she was a valuable player, she was going to go eventually." She observed her cuticles, picking dirt away from under her nails. "I just pushed the process along."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"At home, I don't have many friends. I tend to stay to myself." Sarah began, curling her knees to her chest. "But, I've actually gotten really close to the girls on my team, and it makes it so much harder for me to grasp that they may be gone if we lose a challenge." Sighing heavily, Sarah let her teeth graze the flesh of her lower lip. "I wish I could just talk to my daughter, you know? She would motivate me to keep going on."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

The next day at lunch, the Killer Bass keenly observed the Screaming Gophers as they interacted with one another, Daniel being the first one to speak. "Notice how quiet it is? The joy from that team got sucked into oblivion." He smirked, Jay reaching out and high-fiving him over the rather rude comment.

"Now that they're all mopey, maybe we can actually win this time around." Brittany said pointedly, batting her eyelashes at her fellow team members. "I've tasted a reward, and I want more of them." Johnathon nodded his head in agreement, lightly tapping her arm. "I hope we are able to go to the mall for the next reward. I want to get the summer season of Versace belts before this ends."

"I want to update my blog." Hannah butted into the conversation, situating herself between Brittany and Johnathon. "I know my followers are deprived of my snappy repartee about the dangers of the the patriarchy in the classroom."

"Campers!" Chris suddenly burst into the dining hall, making wild movements with his arms. "Our next challenge starts in two minutes. Get limber, you're going to need it!" Sending a knowing smile Chef's way, Chef stepped out of the kitchen, following Chris to the beach with wild laughter.

 **(THE BEACH)**

"Alright, campers! Go ahead and look behind me to our elaborate set-up." Behind Chris were a series of elaborate structures, red and green buckets alternating with one another, situated atop of the wooden structures. A tether with a velcro strap was attached to each bucket, a raised wooden platform in the center. "Who else but Noah to think up this challenge? I would tell you about how he's doing, but he's here to let you know!"

Suddenly, Noah emerged from the tree-line, wearing an elaborate burgundy suit, each aspect of his appearance well-quaffed, even in the precise folding measures of his pocket square. He was clean shaven, his hair away from his face. "So, after Total Drama, I went on to invent a dating app that requires a specific IQ to get into. I call it, 'IQ-Pid'. I also am engaged to the love of my life, who I also met on a Total Drama show, Emma." The campers vaguely clapped over this news, which made Noah roll his eyes.

"Wow, great enthusiasm, guys. It really makes me excited to see you suffer in this challenge." He smiled wickedly, standing in front of one of the buckets. "While this challenge involves being physically adept, this is more of a mental game that tests your ability to resist temptation, and endure through pain." Moving to stand onto one of the platforms, he raised his arm above his head.

"You are going to stand barefoot on this small platform, and your arm will be raised above your head, and attached by the velcro strap to this tether." He lightly swatted at the tether, allowing it to sway back and forth beside him. "The problem is, if you tug too hard or break concentration, the tether will pull against the bucket, dumping you in either Gopher green or Bass red water. Then, you are out. Throughout the competition, you will be tempted through food, and incentives to step down. In order to accept an incentive, you must pull down and douse yourself. The last team member standing wins immunity for their team."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"This is brilliant!" Sarah spoke feverishly, grinning from ear to ear. "I have always admired Noah, but even more so now. This challenge is going to be awesome. I gotta give it to him, he went home early on the original season, but he really has made an impact."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

Each of the campers were strapped in, their arms awkwardly dangling above their heads. Campers such as Brittany and Joshua had found their inner core, Brittany's eyes even closed as she stretched her alternate arm, but Mariana struggled to be comfortable, while also maintaining not moving her tethered arm to the point where the bucket would be pulled.

"Ready for your first incentive?" Noah asked as Chef approached, holding a silver tray with a cover. Noah uncovered the tray, revealing a sizable banana split; neapolitan ice cream was sandwiched between two halves of a banana, and then covered with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, sprinkles, and a maraschino cherry. "If you want this, go ahead and come on down."

This intrigued Maeve, who made an audible whining sound, which alerted Mariana. "Do you want this too?" Mariana inquired, Maeve nodding her head in response. Mariana pondered this for a moment, before an idea popped into her head. "Let's go together, we can share it."

Though Maeve was skeptical, she was hardly about to give up one of her only chances for the next eight weeks to devour a sundae as beautiful as the one before her. "One, two, three!" Maeve counted down, both of the girls tugging their arms down, triggering the bucket to pour green and red water on them. "Maeve and Mariana are the first two out in this competition! Ladies," Chris held out two spoons for them. "Your sundae awaits."

The two girls darted over to Chris, snatching the spoons from him. Mariana plucked the sundae from the tray, allowing Maeve to have the first bite.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"I really want to make friends with someone like Maeve." Mariana tapped her chin, furrowing her brows. "She would be a good person to take to the finals, if we can both make it that far. I gotta stick out hope for the merge, and that we will both make it that far!"

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"The next item, or should I say items, up for grabs are," Chris and Noah produced a white comforter, two pillows, and a blanket. "Nicer sleeping materials for your stay on the island! I know this blankets are a bit itchy, campers."

"I WANT IT, CHRIS!" Johnathon abruptly yanked his tether down, ripping the velcro strap and dashing to him before the water could even graze his head. "These feel more like the sheets I use in one of my three summer homes!" Taking and hugging them against his chest, he joined Mariana and Maeve, who were chowing down on their ice cream.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I've been a gymnast since I was 6, and I do yoga every Wednesday with my mom." Brittany bragged, resting her hands on her hips. "I know a thing or two about balance. I also balance being really nice to some people, when I just talk about them behind their backs! Hello! That's balance."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I dance, and I have a natural sense of balance." Joshua spoke, grinning at the prospect of him winning a challenge for his team. "I think Brittany is going to be my biggest competition, though. It would make the most sense, given that I think she's a cheerleader. Is she a cheerleader? I'm honestly just going off the fact that she definitely would be the bitchy head cheerleader type."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"One time I did a handstand for like 10 minutes," Cami began, her perky voice a stark contrast compared to Brittany and Joshua's. "Except, then I fell and hit my head. I think I got a concussion, but who the heck knows? It could have been my imagination!"

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Albhe scoffed, shrugging his shoulders. "One time I did a keg stand? Sheesh, I'm only in this for the rewards, get off my back."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

 **(45 MINUTES IN)**

"Alright, campers! This next incentive comes with a bit of a twist." Chris emerged with a laptop, at which Hannah immediately pulled her tether at, drenching her in red water. Chris eyed the female in bewilderment, staring her down evenly as she made her way over. "I wasn't even able to finish the sentence. You will have access to the internet for a day, and you CANNOT and WILL NOT order anything to the camp."

"Chris, you overestimate me! I will simply be using this laptop to catch up on the latest memes, and expenditures on Tumblr." She squealed in excitement as she took the laptop, sitting far from the others as she began to rapidly type.

"Okay, I'm done." Ximena spoke, making Noah furrow his brows. "What? Repeat that?" Noah leaned forward, hoping that he was mishearing what the actress was saying. "I have to use the girl's room!" She clarified, narrowing her eyes.

"I too will be opting to drop out of this challenge in favor of using the bathroom. I made the mistake of not going before we started." Jerry added on, looking to Ximena as they both pulled their tethers, spilling the green water atop of their heads.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"One time, I went to the Star Wars marathon sponsored by my local movie theatre," Jerry recalled, moving strands of his hair away from his forehead. "I had thought I didn't have to use the restroom, and so I kept to myself in my seat. Hours after the George Lucas greatness and a large soda, I got scared by the blare of the symphony from the opening title for Empire Strikes Back, and I ended up wetting myself." Pointing to the screen, he stared down the camera in severity. "Kids, always use the bathroom before long events. That way, you won't have to pay for a new movie theatre seat due to staining it with urine."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

 **(1 HOUR, 30 MINUTES IN)**

The people that were out were enjoying themselves, nonetheless. Johnathon had created a cocoon of his new sleeping items, and had fallen asleep right on the ground, while Maeve, Mariana, and Ximena discussed their favorite shows.

"Alright, slime!" Chef yelled, uncovering a silver tray to reveal a set of delicious looking Chinese food; all of the take-out classics, from Lo Mein, to Orange Chicken. "Step down if you want some of this, if not, the losers will be dining like champions tonight!"

"Nice oxymoron, Chef." Maeve mumbled beneath her breath, boredly picking at her cuticles. Ximena rested her hands upon her hips. "Excuse me! We aren't losers if we are being rewarded!" Mariana patted Ximena's arm, softly shaking her head. "Do not even try, dear."

"Holy crap, I want nothing more than to eat that." Daniel looked to the Chinese take-out, his stomach growling in response. "Hey, Lauren, want to share this grub?" Lauren eagerly nodded her head, each of them pulling their tethers and stepping down.

Once they were settled down, Daniel leaned forward, stuffing a piece of Orange Chicken into his mouth. "I know about your alliance with country boy and the dweeb." Before Lauren could open her mouth to protest, Daniel cut her off. "Let me finish, you could use this. If you want to go to the finals, you are going to have to eliminate Maeve. This game isn't about being likable, it's about strategy. That girl is playing a long game. If you get rid of her now, you will become leader of this team."

Lauren thought about it, looking over her shoulder to see Maeve talking to the girls of the Gopher tribe that had also gotten out. "You're right. We have to get rid of her before the merge. If she gets past the merge, there is no way she's not going to the finals. I can get myself, Adam, Danny, and Hannah to vote for her, and if we have you, Jay, and Sara, she'll be done for."

Daniel nodded his head, his lips parting into a sly grin. "Glad you see it from my point of view."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Psh, as if Maeve is going to be voted out the next time we lose.." Daniel smirked, folding his arms over his chest. "I just need Lauren to think her little alliance is safe. She'll have no idea what hit her."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

 **(2 HOURS IN)**

"Come on, people!" Chris laughed, gaining twisted satisfaction over the pained looks on the camper's faces. "Two hours with your arm just dangling over your head, how much more can you take?"

"N-Not much, Chris." Elizabeth responded to the rhetorical question, her voice filled with exhaustion. Sarah sighed, looking to the side at her friend. "Elizabeth, that was a rhetorical question, not meant to be responded to." Elizabeth's face turned a shade of red over embarrassment, as she averted her gaze.

"Oh, son of a nutcracker!" Cami intoned as she accidently pulled her arm downward, the water crashing onto her figure. Unlatching herself from the tether, Cami rubbed her arm, shaking her head. "My biceps are NOT meant for a challenge like that. Holy heck, Noah, really good challenge, my dude! I think my bicep is just gonna swell up, you know?" Cami said in passing to Chris and Noah as she sat down, a bright, optimistic smile still plastered on her face.

"Not me, Chris!" Brittany smiled confidently, tilting her head back to allow her neck to stretch. Her blonde ponytail moved farther down her back, now grazing her upper waist. "I feel great! Might as well drop out now, chipmunks, because the Bass are in it for the-"

Suddenly, Adam's bucket came pouring, the water rushing onto his head. "I-I just wanted to itch my arm! It was falling asleep, and I hate when sleeping limbs get all tingly." He shivered, rubbing his arm and making a gagging sound. "Gross."

"Hey, Henry, were you raised carnivorous?" Noah inquired as he approached the male's platform, holding a tray in front of him. Confused, Henry nodded his head. "Good, this will make this challenging!" Noah chortled, revealing a porterhouse steak to him. Henry whimpered, his more animalistic side coming out over seeing the slab of meat. "Medium-rare, dry-aged for two weeks, and grilled on open wood. It cost me a pretty penny to ship it in, but seeing one of you guys eat it would make it worth every dollar."

"Henry, I am willing to make a deal with ya'." Danny, just as interested in the steak, licked his lips. "I will take one from the Killer Bass, as I am hankerin' for a good slice of beef like that. Let's go together." Henry nodded his head without hesitation, his whimpering growing in volume as he grew more desperate. The pair pulled on their chords, and without even taking note of the water that had soaked them, they were already digging into the steak.

"We have ten campers left! Who will take it for their team, and who will be joining me tonight at the Campfire Ceremony? Find out, after this break!" Chris pointed at the camera, just as the sound of water splashed in the background.

"Son of a bitch!" Ricky's voice assented.

 **(COMMERCIAL BREAK)**

"I was so close." Ricky mumbled, rolling his eyes as he clapped for his team. "Come on, Gophers!" He cheered for Sarah, Joshua, Elizabeth and Graham. Adam looked to Ricky, moving to sit next to the male, but said nothing. "So, how do you enjoy it over on the Bass?" Ricky suddenly inquired, turning to face the male.

Adam was surprised by the question, but it didn't stop him from answering it. "It's not the worst, but it's not the Gophers. There are some mean people on my team, but I have made some friends." Adam shrugged his shoulders, looking to Lauren and Danny.

"Well, there is always an open bed in the Gopher cabin if you want to experience our team. Just be out by morning." Ricky winked, making Adam's face go red.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Me? Having a crush on Ricky?" Adam scoffed, leaning back where he was sitting. "Psh, heck no! I like girls! L-Like...Brittany...her hair is blonde. Also, there's, uh, Maeve...she says what's on her mind?" Adam paused for a moment, before face-palming.

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Campers, the next offer is for one person only, so you will have to debate amongst yourselves for it!" Noah held up his IPhone, waving it around. "You will be able to make one phone call to whoever you want."

Sarah looked desperately around, wetting her lips in anticipation. "I have a daughter back home." She whispered to Josh, who gestured with his head. "Go, this is yours." He smiled fondly, as Sarah sighed in relief, pulling her chord downward.

As she walked to take the phone, Graham yawned, his eyelids fluttering opened and closed. "Chris, I just want to take a nap." He admitted, looking lazily off to the side. Chris blinked incredulously, reviewing him with bemusement. "You're going to risk your team losing, for a nap?" Shrugging, he stepped back. "Be my guest, dude."

Graham rolled his eyes, tugging on his chord and drenching himself, though he seemed too tired to be phased by it. Making his way to Cami, he laid his head into the female's lap, yawning as he closed his eyes. Cami patted the male's head, leaning back against her palms.

"A nap and a phone call? It really doesn't take much to tempt you guys! I would only step down if someone offered me a massage and a glass of champagne." Albhe told Chris, hoping the male would rush in with that exact incentive. Chris looked behind him, chuckling at his attempt. "Sorry, dude, nothing like that of the sort."

"Damn, worth a try." Albhe looked at Maeve, who was avidly discussing her dreams and desires with Mariana, Ximena, and Sarah. Joshua followed his line of sight, his gaze warming up at how Albhe looked at Maeve. "You like her?" Joshua questioned, snapping Albhe out of his daze and making him scoff. "What? No! Albhe does not fall in love, girls fall in love with him."

Joshua laughed, just as Chris came forward with the next incentive, covered by a sheet. "You look at her like she's a goddess. They write about that stuff in romance books." Albhe looked down, his nose scrunching up in distaste. "Whatever, she's no goddess"

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I have slept with a ton of women. My audition tape? Yeah, X rated, ask Chris." Albhe bragged, folding his arms over his chest. "I do not have feelings for Maeve. I enjoy making fun of her, seeing how far I can push her.." He let his arms fall to his sides. "She does this thing when she gets annoyed, she scrunches up her nose and her eyebrows furrow together...The freckles on her face become so clear." He realized his voice had become more dreamy, which he immediately covered up by a cocky scoff, and flip of his hair. "I-I have banged hotter girls!"

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Hey, Elizabeth. This next one is for you." Noah informed the smaller girl, who immediately leaned forward. Once she caught a glimpse of what was under the sheet, she pulled her chord. "It's my teddy!" Elizabeth observed, a massive grin on her face.

Albhe laughed as Elizabeth sat next to Henry, cuddling her bear. "A teddy bear?! Really, doll?!" He tugged his tethered arm downward as the laughter began to physically make his body lean over, the water moving over his frame. "Oh, hell!" He stepped down, ripping his arm from the velcro. "Come on, Bass! There are four of you to two of them."

Ximena heard this, looking to see Joshua and Larry as the lone representatives for the Gophers. "Oh, that's not going to do." She rose to her feet, just as Albhe replaced her spot beside Maeve. "Hey, Saraphina!" She yelled, putting her hands on her hips. Saraphina turned her head, her eyes taking in the female's stance and mannerisms. "Yeah?"

Ximena chuckled, raising an eyebrow in a cocky manner. "How does it feel to be on the shittiest team in the game?" The actress taunted, making the rest of the participants go silent, even Chris, who was hanging onto every word like his life depended on it. "Because I would feel pretty bad, which I do; I just feel bad for you."

Sara inhaled raggedly, her lips falling into a flat line. "Jayden, don't hold me back." She snarled, pulling her tether down and soaking her, just as Jayden began cheering. "Oh, trust me, I won't!"

Danny ran forward, holding Sara back as she began swinging her fists to Ximena, who stood back with her hands resting upon her hips. "Now it's three to two, a much more fair game." She whispered, sitting down next to Ricky.

"I wouldn't say that now, I think Larry and Jayden are going to drop out next." Chef snickered, holding out a silver tray. Larry and Jay exchanged confused glances, shrugging their shoulders. "I-I would only drop out if Chef showed us.." Larry started to say, just as he was cut off.

Suddenly, Chef uncovered the plate, revealing a whopping plate of spaghetti, topped with crimson marinara sauce, and meatballs. "MOM'S SPAGHETTI!" The twins yelled in unison, tugging their chords down and sending the water flying. The pair high-fived cheerfully, taking their forks and diving in.

 **(3 HOURS IN)**

"Joshua, how does your arm feel?" Brittany teased, appearing quite relaxed in her position. "You look tense. Best not to think about the way the blood feels in your arm right now, how numb the muscles are, how strained each fiber of your body is over how long we've been sitting like this; that might throw off your game!" Brittany prodded, making Joshua narrow his eyes.

"Blondie, I'm not stepping down. The only way I'm coming down is if I'm forced." He stuck his tongue out at her, making Brittany roll her eyes. "What a child."

Johnathon made his way over to Brittany then, glancing from right to left. He whispered something to the female which made her eyes grow wide, her arm immediately tugging downward to bathe herself in water.

"After 3 hours of excruciating temptation, Joshua wins it for the Screaming Gophers!" Chris exclaimed, each member of the Gophers shooting to their feet and dancing, hugging one another. "Killer Bass, see me in a couple of hours. You know the deal."

"Oh, by the way! Gophers, your reward is that you get to watch the campfire ceremony for the Bass tonight!" The Gophers froze, gaping at Chris, who innocently batted his eyelashes. "You just got to be rewarded for 3 hours! Sheesh, greedy!"

 **(COMMUNAL SHOWER HOUSE)**

Maeve hummed softly as she held her shower caddy and towel, anticipating the luke-warm waters rushing down her skin. The cheap dye from the challenge had stained her light brown skin red. Just as her hand extended to open the door, a set of hands tugged her back behind the shower house.

Turning sharply, Maeve took in the figures of Brittany, Albhe, and Johnathon. "What the hell? Couldn't you have just approached me?" She questioned, Johnathon cutting her off. "Lauren wants you gone tonight. She's already got the votes of Hannah, Danny, and Adam. Those stupid commoners decided to plot when they thought I was sleeping."

Brittany rolled her eyes, looking to Maeve. "Listen, we don't want you to go, okay? You are actually one of the smartest people on this team, and losing you would be like, really bad for the Bass. So, we are trying to get Daniel, Jay, and Sara to vote alongside us tonight."

Albhe swung his arm over Maeve's shoulders. "Daniel is a slimy piece of human bowels so I am sure we can swing him over, but we need to break up Lauren's precious little alliance." Maeve took in all of their words, an idea popping into her head. "I know who we are going to vote out."

 **(BASS CABIN; STAIRCASE)**

"So, if we vote Maeve out, we will be guaranteeing you guys a more secure spot in the finals. If Maeve makes it past the merge, she is going to the finals." Lauren explained to Daniel, Jay, and Sara. Jay seemed rather convinced by this, as he nodded his head alongside every word Lauren said. "You have a deal." Jay shook Lauren's hand, as did Sara and Daniel.

"I think that all of this juicy drama will be a great addition to my Total Drama blog." Hannah typed eagerly on her computer, making Danny tip his head. "I never did quite get the use of technology. Makes me think of robots and the sorts." Danny shivered, shaking his head.

"Here comes Brittany," Adam tapped Lauren's shoulder. "Jay, come on, we have more to talk about. The rest of you, please tell us if Brittany says anything." Hannah, Danny, Lauren, Adam, and Jay left, abandoning Daniel and Sara. Brittany sat down next to Daniel, smiling innocently at them. "Scheming behind our backs? How sweet! Really, but you should know never to talk behind the back of someone who has eyes on the back of their heads."

Daniel chuckled, covering his mouth with his hand to conceal the sound. "Listen up, and make sure your ears are working because I usually don't repeat myself because I see it as a waste of time." Brittany flipped her hair, continuing on with her argument. "So, I know Lauren is trying to plot, or whatever, but think about this from a smart person's point of view. If we get rid of Maeve, we get rid of a powerhouse mind. Like, she reads for fun, guys, big books that I see in the library and use to conceal my cell phone in class."

Sara rolled her eyes, getting up to leave, but Daniel stopped her. "Listen to what Barbie doll here has to say. I'm intrigued." Brittany smiled, going forth. "Lauren wants to become leader of this team really bad, but if you think about it, Maeve is already doing a pretty good job at that. She is a leader in her school, I think, and she knows how to play this game. Why would we eliminate someone who could help us win? I say we stop Lauren now, and show her that no one is safe in this game by eliminating one of her closest friends."

Daniel nodded his head, his lower lip jutting outward. "I'm impressed, and I am in." He turned to Sara, raising his eyebrows. "Looks like you are the swing vote."

Sara huffed, folding her arms over her chest. "I think Maeve sucks, but I'm not going to say no yet. Who do you have in mind to be voted out?"

 **(CAMPFIRE CEREMONY)**

"Campers! There are 10 marshmallows on this plate, and 11 of you. One of you is going home tonight, will walk on the Dock of Shame, board the Boat of Losers, and never come back!" Chris repeated the same intro, holding up his plate higher in the air. "If I call your name, please step forward and get your marshmallow. Gophers, enjoy the show."

The Gophers sat on the side, and though some appeared relaxed by the idea of them not being in the Bass' position, others were antsy. It was clear on their faces. "The first camper I am going to say is...Lauren!" Lauren pumped her fist in the air, skipping to Chris and taking her marshmallow.

"Hannah!" Hannah seemed unbothered by this as she walked past Chris, still holding the computer with one hand. "I am making a livestream of this Campfire Ceremony for my Tumblr followers."

Chris rolled his eyes, holding up the next marshmallow. "Jay!" Emitting a small sigh of relief, Jay meandered to Chris, taking his spot beside him. "Brittany and Johnathon!" The two high-fived, avoiding the marshmallows, but also glancing to Lauren. "Sara and Albhe!" Albhe shot to Chris, taking his marshmallow and kissing it. "Safety has never tasted so sweet."

Sara hit the male roughly on the back. "But it also hasn't looked so repulsive." The Gophers chuckled, looking at the four remaining on the stumps.

"I can't say who it's gonna be." Mariana whispered to Elizabeth, who shrugged her shoulders. "Me neither- I'm getting a-anxious for them!" Elizabeth replied, wide-eyed.

"Hm, Daniel!" Chris announced, the constantly tired looking male nonchalantly taking his marshmallow, leaving Danny, Adam, and Maeve behind. "Campers, to speed up this process, because some of you still haven't showered…" He spoke, referring to Henry, whose skin held a blue hue. "I am just going to say who is out tonight!"

"The camper that is going to be walking the Dock of Shame tonight is…" He paused for dramatic effect, Danny and Adam exchanging nervous glances, while Maeve leaned back, her arms folded over her chest.

"Danny!" The Gophers audibly gasped as Chris tossed Maeve and Adam their marshmallows, Maeve rising to her feet and joining Albhe. Brittany regarded Lauren with a conniving smirk, relishing in the shock that washed over the girl's face. Danny sighed sadly, waving his hand to everyone. "Bye, y'all. It was real fun while it lasted." He smiled hopefully, but it dropped as he turned, walking to the dock.

"What just happened?" Sarah whispered, still trying to analyze how Danny could have possibly been voted off. "My head hurts trying to figure all of that out." Jerry added on, noting Adam, Lauren, and Hannah's crestfallen expressions.

"Well, I can definitely say that this season is shaping up to be the most dramatic yet! Man, I am so happy I decided to renew this show!" Chris laughed, sending the campers on their way. "Get some sleep, if you can!"

 **(BASS CABIN)**

To say that Lauren was shocked was an understatement. When shock was left in a vessel for too long, it often bubbled over in a mass of negative emotions; hysteria, sadness, anger. For Lauren, it was a ghastly combination of the three.

"Alright, what the HELL was that?!" Lauren yelled to her team as they were about to enter the cabins. "Some of you guys PROMISED that Maeve would be gone, and you backstabbed us!"

"Don't act so surprised, pop star." Brittany was annoyed by the girl's outbursts, seeing them as melodramatic and unnecessary, even to her, the Queen of Extra. "This is a game based on betrayal, you were just apart of it. It's no big deal."

"No big deal?! Danny was just wrongfully eliminated! He was a good guy, who was doing this to make his father proud! There wasn't a prideful bone in his body, unlike some of you! I have to ask, who voted Danny off? You can be honest, we're a team!" Lauren spat the word as if it were bile. Brittany raised her hand without hesitation, followed by Maeve, Johnathon, Albhe, Daniel, and Sara.

"Good, now I know who I won't be voting for if they make it to the finals! I can't believe I got played like such a dumb-ass!" Lauren laughed, Adam patting her shoulder. "Lauren, it's okay.."Adam began, Lauren shaking her off. "But it's not okay, Adam! Can't you see that?"

Maeve shook her head, approaching the female and standing directly in front of Lauren. "Listen, Lauren. You can dislike me all you want, and continue to plot for my fall behind my back. But you are playing a game whose ratings thrives off of drama. You signed up to be betrayed, ridiculed, and back-stabbed, and this is a facet of it. Danny being eliminated is just another knot in the system." Holding her hand to the female, Maeve looked up at her. "I am sorry about everything."

Lauren looked to her hand, clenching her jaw together as she held her hand out to shake it, when suddenly, she brought it down upon the smaller girl's cheek, the sound echoing against the trees. Maeve was stunned, her eyes widening as her face turned sharply, her face tingling from where Lauren had made connection with her cheek.

Lauren leaned forward, spitting her words to Maeve. "I am not a knot." Storming past them, Lauren swung open the door to the girl's side, slamming it behind her. Adam looked wide-eyed to Maeve, his mouth frozen in an agape position. "I-I...I'm sorry." He walked into the guy's side, everyone filing away behind them, and eventually, Maeve walked into the girl's side, too.

 **(BASS CABIN; GUY'S SIDE)**

It was 2 AM, and Maeve slunk in, wearing her pajamas which consisted of a long-sleeve shirt, and boy-shorts. Looking around each bunk, she spotted Albhe, tucked soundly into a corner bed, the bunk above him now empty. "Albhe?" Maeve whispered, approaching his bed and tapping his arm. Albhe groggily rose his head, squinting at Maeve's figure. "Am I having that weird dirty dream again?"

Maeve rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "No, but I can't sleep. Do you mind if I just...sleep with you?" The statement made Maeve cringe, but she couldn't take sleeping on the girl's side. Albhe blinked, sliding over. "Be my guest."

Maeve climbed in beside Albhe, and by some miracle, they both fit in the cramped bed. One of Albhe's arms moved above Maeve's head, while the other rested on his side. Maeve looked down, her arms tucked against her chest. "Did I deserve to get slapped?" Maeve whispered, just as Albhe's eyes had shut.

Cracking an eye open, Albhe shook his head. "No, you didn't. It was a really shitty thing for her to do." Maeve nodded her head, biting her lower lip as she took in his words. "Sorry about dropping out of the challenge over ice cream."

Albhe chuckled, the sound resonating deep within his chest. "At least you didn't laugh yourself out of the challenge, Maeve." He opened both of his eyes then, looking at the figure of the girl in front of him. He regarded her fondly, his hand moving to stroke the cheek that was hit.

"Don't let her get to you." He finalized, Maeve at a loss for words. She had never exactly had a friend like Albhe before, nor did she really have any close friends at all. Most of her friends were one she had in passing. She would talk to them in class and at meetings, but she would never reach out to meet up with them.

She was glad to have a friend like Albhe.

A friend.

That was the last thought she had pressed her lips to his.


	9. Love Does Not Need a Title

_**sorry for the wait! school hit me really hard, followed by the holidays, and i have been working on college applications nonstop. i really hope you enjoy this chapter because it's super cute and funny, which is needed for the absolute emotional mess that the next chapter is going to be. please review! tell me who your favorite is, your least favorite, your ships, and who you can see winning! i will be doing a poll, because i want to hear who you think is going to win! thank you guys! 3**_

"Previously on Total Drama Return!" Chris began the show, shots from the previous episode taking over the screen. "It was a battle of temptation between the Gophers and the Bass, as Noah's challenge beautifully twisted the camper's minds!" The scene where Maeve and Mariana pulled their cords flashed on screen, followed by Johnathon. "Some campers dropped out within minutes, and despite Brittany and Joshua both battling it out to the end, Brittany pulled her rope due to hearing of a secret plan between Daniel and Lauren's alliance to get rid of Maeve!"

"In a shocking turn of events, Daniel blindsided his own idea and voted off Danny, the good country oaf, and much to Lauren's displeasure!" A replay of Lauren slapping Maeve appeared on screen, followed by a stream of content chuckles from Chris.

"Due to fear of staying within her own cabin, Maeve opted to cuddle it up with Albhe, but cuddling turned into some lip-lock for these two fishies!"

Chris roasted a marshmallow, watching it catch flame with a smirk. "You think it can't get more dramatic! Well, you are incorrect! What will this challenge bring this group of teens? Who will win this challenge? Find out this, and more on,

TOTAL! DRAMA! RETURN!"

 **(OPENING INSTRUMENTAL OF THE THEME)**

It showed a sped up exterior of the island, just as the camp was being built atop of it, from day to night.

 **(DEAR MOM AND DAD I'M DOING FINE, YOU GUYS ARE ON MY MIND)**

The camera followed Chris as he walked across the dock, his face being dabbed with translucent powder by an anxious looking intern, while another held his Diet Coke, which he sipped with a cocky look on his face. As the powder accumulated in a cloud on his face, he sneezed, spitting the sticky, soda contents onto the poor intern that was serving him his drink.

 **(YOU ASKED ME WHAT I WANTED TO BE, AND NOW I THINK THE ANSWER IS PLAIN TO SEE)**

The camera zoomed in on the beach, where Graham was building a sandcastle, and Cami stepped across it, paying homage to the famous monster movie, 'Godzilla'. She laughed, and Graham rolled his eyes, face-palming in exasperation.

 **(I WANNA BE FAMOUS)**

The camera showed a shot of the center of the camp, with Jayden approaching Sara with a water gun, who was facing away from him. Suddenly, Sara sharply pivoted, revealing herself to be holding a water gun of her own, which she unleashed on Jayden with a maniacal cackle, chasing him off frame.

 **(I WANNA LIVE CLOSE TO THE SUN)**

Brittany sat outside of the Killer Bass cabin, wearing her white bikini, her figure being shaded by Danny, who was holding a large lead canopy over her, shaking his head in annoyance.

 **(SO PACK YOUR BAGS CAUSE I'VE ALREADY WON)**

The camera moved into the Killer Bass cabin on the boy's side, where Daniel laid snoozing on his bed, only to be awaken by Johnathon, who was trying to pick between two polo shirts, each of them slightly different hues of white. Daniel threw his pillow at Johnathon, causing Johnathon to scream.

 **(EVERYTHING TO PROVE, NOTHING IN MY WAY, I'LL GET THERE ONE DAY)**

The camera scooted to the stairs Gopher cabin, where Joshua and Sarah were doing impressions of celebrities, making Lawrence laugh, and then eventually fall backward.

 **(CAUSE I WANNA BE FAMOUS)**

The camera scooted inside of the dining hall, where Ricky and Adam were idly talking, Hannah watching eagerly from the side and nodding her head in approval. Chef watched, clearly fuming in anger as Mariana snuck into the kitchen, adding herbs and spices to whatever gruel he was cooking, prompting her to be chased out of the back door.

 **(NANANA'NANAANA NANA NANA)**

The camera zoomed out to reveal the theatre, where Rosa cheered over Lauren's performance, until she was pushed offstage by Ximena, a spotlight casting onto the female as she began to dramatically monologue, making Rosa cringe at the sight.

 **(I WANNA BE, I WANNA BE, I WANT TO BE FAMOUS!)**

The camera quickly moved into the forest, where Henry was swinging from the vines, Elizabeth latched onto his back, who was laughing hysterically. Henry released the vine, sending them both splashing into the water.

 **(I WANNA BE, I WANNA BE, I WANT TO BE FAMOUS)**

The water got onto Jerry, who was laying on the ground, making sand-angels, all while Nicole watched, maniacally moving her fingers against each other, a murderous grin on her face. Suddenly, Jerry tossed sand into the air, the sky changing from daytime to nighttime.

 **(WHISTLE)**

The camera moved to show Maeve standing in front of the campfire, Albhe desperately trying to woo Maeve. Just as he leaned forward to rest his arm upon her head like an armrest, Maeve stepped backward, causing Albhe to fall flat to the ground.

The camera zoomed out, revealing the campers surrounding the fiery inferno, the words 'Total Drama Return' appearing on the screen.

 **(START OF SHOW: LUNCH)**

"Are you saying that _The Incredibles_ is worse than _Toy Story 3?_ That is the most false statement I have ever heard!" Mariana exclaimed over her lunch, gesturing wildly to Larry with wide eyes. " _The Incredibles_ is one of the best Pixar movies of all time."

Larry held up his finger, shaking his head in wild disagreement. "False! _Toy Story 3_ has one of the best endings in a Pixar movie, no one can deny that." He folded his arms over his chest, his brow raising in a cocky manner as if to say 'top that'.

Mariana opened and closed her mouth, the means to articulate a counter-argument suddenly not coming to her. "Okay, I give in." She raised her napkin, waving it in surrender as if it were a white flag. Larry cheered, slapping palms with Joshua. Henry raised his head from his forearms, peering up at the group through his bangs. "I have never seen those movies." He mumbled, his voice muffled due to his words being pushed into the skin of his arm.

"D-Don't worry! We can watch them together sometime." Elizabeth offered with a shy smile, rubbing his back. Henry straightened his posture at the feeling of her hand on his back, his eyes growing wide. "Y-Yeah! That sounds great!"

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Joshua popped a potato chip into his mouth, chewing it with a smile on his face. "Elizabeth and Henry dig each other, it's clear to see. Too bad for them, it's like driving through a heavy fog." He tapped his chin, shaking his head. "Mark my words, I am getting them together before the end of this show!"

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

On the Killer Bass side, there was quite the commotion. Sara and Daniel had gotten into a water drinking contest, with the avid support of Jay, Albhe, Lauren, and Adam, who were all chanting "Chug! Chug!" like a bunch of fraternity boys. Daniel tapped his hand rapidly against the table, shaking his head and backing out of the contest. "I give up! I will definitely have to pee later."

Sara smiled in pride, resting her hands on her hips. "Ante up, boys." A series of junk food was thrown to the center of the table, which Sara took within her arms with a chuckle. "So, I guess it is true what they say. Sara swallows!" Albhe joked, backing away as Sara lunged across the table, clawing at him. "You creep! I'm going to gut you like a fish!"

"Don't talk about my woman like that!" Jay pointed harshly at Albhe, the comment causing Sara to do a double-take. "Jay! Stop hitting on me! It's super creepy!" She interjected, thumping the male on the side of the head.

"Unwanted flirtation is a misogynistic microaggression." Hannah looked to Jay, narrowing her eyes at him. "Your depraved mannerisms will not stand with m-" A large pile of oatmeal hit Hannah in the face, cutting her off. Brittany was revealed on the other side of the table, brandishing the spoon that committed the act. "It is much nicer when your mouth is closed."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Daniel chuckled, rubbing his chin in thought. "Brittany proved herself last week. Sure, she threw the challenge, but she helped Maeve stay in the game. Maybe she isn't some Daddy's girl cheerleader type after all."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"Campers! Take your lunches to go and meet by the ampitheatre in five, we have a challenge to get to!" Chris ordered as he made his way into the Dining Hall, clapping his hands together.

"Amphitheatre? Maybe this is a talent contest! I will actually be able to sing something!" Lauren patted Adam's arm, a bright grin taking over her face. She looked across the table to see Maeve, her head stuck in a book. "Adam? Penny for your thoughts?"

Adam looked up from his bowl of spaghetti, which occasionally crunched as he bit down onto it, due to the varying cooking times between each batch of pasta. "No penny required. What's weighing you down?"

Lauren laid her head upon the table, emitting a sigh. "I feel bad for slapping Maeve. I was in shock, and I didn't think things through." She peeked at Adam, shaking her head. "What should I do?"

"Apologize! Pull her aside, and have a good for honest heart-to-heart. I am taking everything I know from Full House, but it really works in that show, so why not this one?" Adam advised, hoping the humor in his statement wouldn't overshadow the genuine nature of his statement. Lauren giggled, rising to her feet and moving her fingers through his hair. "You're the best, Adam!"

 **(OUTDOOR AMPITHEATRE)**

"Today's challenge is based around everyone's favorite, beautiful man-" Chris began, only to be cut off by Ximena. "Alejandro! He was absolutely gorgeous, the most beautiful man to grace this show." She interjected, Ricky glancing at her incredulously. "Uh, false. I'm partial to Geoff, it probably helped that he always had his shirt unbuttoned." He hypothesized, narrowing his eyes in thought.

"Maybe if you guys didn't keep interrupting, we could continue on with the show!" Chris clapped his hands together, silencing the hormonal teens around him. His frown dissipated into a bright grin, which he maintained in an eerie fashion as he spoke. "Today's challenge is based around everyone's favorite, beautiful man, Justin!"

A less than enthusiastic murmur rang through the teens. "What? No love for Justin?" Chris observed, blinking at the teens.

"The guy pulled a Lindsay Lohan, Chris. He had a public meltdown and pretty much roasted every contestant of this show, and then was arrested for hitting one of the guys that rings the bell outside of a grocery store for the Salvation Army." Albhe adjusted his collar, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "So, that explains the lack of Justin enthusiasm."

Chris rolled his eyes, grinding his teeth together. "Leave the explanations to me, pretty boy." He hissed through a clenched jaw, turning back to the camera. "This challenge will utilize three aspects of fame; dancing, singing, and acting! A manager will be randomly assigned for each portion of the time, and they will get the acts together. Once the acts are assigned, those contestants will not be allowed to participate in the next portion of the competition," Chef walked onstage, reprising the sequined, hot pink dress from _Total Drama Action_ to present two bowls filled with slips of paper, one with a red Bass logo, the other with a green Gophers logo.

Sarah removed her glasses at the sight of Chef, figuring it would be better for her sake if her vision were blurry. Chris plunged his hands into the bowls, pulling out one from the Bass, and one for the Gophers. "For the Bass, the manager for the dancing portion will be Jay, and for the Gophers, the manager will be Cami. For the dancing challenge, the managers will assign a dancer, and a background dancer. You have an hour!"

 **(BASS SIDE)**

Jay circled his teammates up, peering around them. "I say that Sara does this challenge!" Jay assigned, causing Sara to remove herself from her position in the back of the crowd, and move to the front. "I don't dance, Jay. Don't blindly put me places because you have a dumb crush on me!"

"Cheerleading and dancing are two different things. Count me out of this one." Brittany popped a bubble of gum, fumbling with her acrylic nails, which had begun to fall off since the start of the competition. Jay sighed in desperation, gesturing around him. "Does anyone on this team dance?!"

Albhe raised his hand, raising Maeve's as well. "We can do it!" He volunteered, bumping his hip against Maeve. "We will waltz." He rested his chin atop her head, rocking from side to side as he held onto Maeve's shoulders.

"False, I do not dance. Albhe is free to go, though." Maeve looked up from the top of her book, pulling away from Albhe. Johanathon reluctantly stepped forward, putting his hand up. "Albhe and I will represent the Bass in the dance portion of this challenge."

"Great! Get rehearsing, you two!" Jay pushed them forward, following after them and speaking about work ethic and the importance of dance as if he were a true dance coach.

 **(GOPHER SIDE)**

"So, I think this is pretty simple!" Cami's cheerful soprano rang through the Gophers as she hopped up and down, pointing to Joshua. "Joshua is a great dancer! He should do this part!" She assigned, a nod moving through the Gophers.

"You guys make me blush!" Joshua teased, looking beside him to Ximena. "Ximena! Want to salsa together?" He asked her, bowing like a true gentleman and extending his palm to her.

"Oh, Joshua! I would love to! But what will this mean for the acting and singing portions of the competition? I will not be allowed to participate." Ximena pointed out, taking his palm, but stopping where she was so she could properly address Cami, who seemed confounded by the situation.

"It is a calculated risk! Ximena and Joshua will take this first round for us, and I think that Lauren will be used in the singing part of the competition, so we will just have to stick someone up against her that will give her a run for their money!" Cami planned, looking to Graham with a wide smile on her face. "That's a good plan, right?"

Graham chuckled, his lips forming into a small, toothless grin as he patted her head. "Yeah, it's a great plan."

Cami thrusted her fist into the air, skipping over to Ximena and Joshua, taking their hands and dragging them off. "Then let's win this thing!"

 **(ONE HOUR LATER, MAINSTAGE)**

Chris walked onto a blackened stage, a single spotlight following his movements. Instead of his traditional ensemble, he adorned a light blue tuxedo, with a red bowtie. "Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the dancing portion of this competition! Judging not only this competition, but the next two that will follow, are myself, and Chef Hatchet!"

The camera panned over to a judge's table, where Chef Hatchet still wore his ill fitting dress. The camera moved back over to Chris, who moved his hands upward, a drum-roll sound effect ringing in the background. "First up, for the Killer Bass, manager Jay will introduce his contestants!"

Jay walked onstage, wearing his formal attire, which consisted of a white shirt, a black jacket thrown atop of it, as well as a belt, black pants, and black shoes. Taking the mic, he spoke into it. "It is my honor to introduce two male dancers that will give the guys from Magic Mike a run for their money, introducing Albhe and Johnathon!"

As Jay meandered off, the stage went to black, a familiar swill of music filling the air. Sara tipped her head, leaning forward in her seat. "No freaking way."

The camera flashed to the left, showing the Gophers' set of seats. Ricky concealed a smile behind his hand, shaking his head. "No way they are doing this dance."

The stage was washed in bright lights as the song "Bye, Bye, Bye" by *NSYNC got into full swing, Albhe and Johnathon already on stage. Johnathon looked sharp in a white dress shirt, with a blue tie beneath a black jacket and black pants, Albhe equally as sharp with a white dress shirt and suit, skinny black slacks, and a black tie. To add a special touch, a small, white peonie boutonnière attached to his suit jacket.

The pair launched into the iconic choreography from the music video, step by step. Lauren rose to her feet, clapping along with the beat. "Work it, boys!"

Maeve looked up from her book, her wide, dark brown gaze the only thing visible about her face, her eyebrows raised in mild interest. Albhe looked out to the audience, shooting a wink in her direction.

As the dance finished up, there was roaring applause, which ended as Chris graced the stage. "My dudes, that was wicked! Chef and I gave you an eight out of ten, points deducted because you pretty much just did a pre-established dance, but it was made up for because of your dedication!"

Albhe and Johnathon high-fived each other, walking offstage. Chris cleared his throat, the noise prompting the spotlight to fall onto him. "Next up to introduce the Gophers' act, is their manager, Cami!"

Cami bounded onto stage, wearing a black suit jacket, a neon pink button up shirt, black pleated skirt, cat stockings, and neon pink Mary Janes. "Hey, Total Drama! My two stars need no introduction, because they are both so incredible! Please give a loud welcome to Ximena and Joshua!"

The moment Cami walked off, loud salsa music permeated the air, Ximena and Joshua entering from opposite sides of the stage. Joshua, from stage left, wearing a black tux, black jeans, and black sneakers, and Ximena from stage right, wearing a bright red, knee-length dress with an A-line cut, with white high-heeled boots that extended to her mid-calf.

The pair joined hands, beginning to salsa, and the statement that the air was electric was an understatement. With every pop of an instrument, Ximena and Joshua moved their hands outward in a poignant fashion, or Ximena extended her leg to great lengths. The two were experts in knowing when to be dramatic, and when to let the music do the talking.

"There is no way that the *NSYNC tribute can top this!" Mariana hypothesized as she bobbed her head to the music. Jerry nodded his head in agreement. "I have to agree, the quality of this dance has far surpassed that of the Killer Bass."

At the end, Joshua lifted Ximena in the air, as she landed gracefully onto the ground, her hand on his shoulder. Both were drenched with sweat, breathing raggedly to display their hard-work. "Dang, you two! That was some spicy salsa!" Chris walked onstage, beaming at them. "On a scale of one to ten, that gets a ten! The Screaming Gophers take this round!"

Joshua and Ximena embraced, Joshua twirling the girl in the air as they joined their respective team. "The next competition will be the singing contest! For this part, the manager will assign a main singer, as well as either a background vocalist, or an instrumentalist!" Chef re-entered, holding out the bowls to Chris. "The manager for the Killer Bass will be Adam, and the manager for Screaming Gophers will be Larry! Make it work!"

 **(GOPHERS SIDE)**

"Guys, that was incredible!" Cami gushed to Ximena and Joshua, jumping up and down in front of them. "If we can continue displaying talent like that, the Killer Bass won't know what hit 'em!" To add extra emphasis to her point, she struck the air in front of her like a boxer would, making small whooshing sounds as she did.

"B-But Ximena can't be apart of this round, so who is vocally talented enough to go up against Lauren, undoubtedly?" Larry worriedly rubbed the bridge of his nose.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"This was my chance for Elizabeth to see a different side of Henry!" Joshua determined, a thought suddenly popping into his head. "Maybe for Graham, too?"

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)  
** Joshua draped his arms over Graham and Henry's shoulders, pushing them forward. "These two guys actually informed me that they had an unknown talent for music!" Henry and Graham shot a glare to Joshua, though that ended for Henry when Elizabeth smiled hopefully. "Y-You sing, Henry? Oh, I would love to hear it!"

Henry groaned, taking Graham by the shoulder. "We'll do it." Graham opened his mouth to interject, but Larry cut him off. "Oh, that's spectacular! You guys are great, really, I can't thank you enough."

Graham hung his head, mumbling sourly beneath his breath. "I will sing.." He compromised, holding his hand out. Larry gladly shook it, chuckling happily. "It's a done deal, and I know exactly what song you will sing."

 **(BASS SIDE)**

Adam gestured over to Lauren, reasoning with the team. "Clearly, Lauren should be our singer. She's known for it, and it would guarantee the team a great vocalist. But, who will sing background, or play an instrument?"

Sara scoffed, holding her hand out to reject the offer. "Hell no, I don't play or sing that pop crap." Hannah shook her head after, chuckling awkwardly. "I simply do not know the nuances of music!"

"I play violin." Maeve's voice pushed into the conversation as she set her book down, raising an eyebrow in a bored fashion. "I am able to learn music by ear, so perhaps if Lauren's song is played for me, I can adjust to it." She looked to Lauren, shrugging her shoulders. "This is for the team, not for you."

Lauren stepped forward, looking directly to Maeve. "I'm sorry for what I did. It was wrong, and stupid, and totally unlike me. I am a chill person, and I hope we can start over by working together." She regarded Maeve optimistically, hoping for some fashion of a response.

Maeve bit the inside of her cheek, but nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's logical."

"Well, that's as good of an apology as I think we will get, so let's get this ball rolling!" Adam cheered.

 **(ONE HOUR LATER; MAINSTAGE)**

"Campers! We have danced, we will soon act, but now, let's hear the beautiful melodies that each team came up with! For the Screaming Gophers, I present the manager, Larry!"

Larry shyly made his way to the stage, taking the mic from Chris as he walked by. Larry appeared quite handsome, wearing a red tie, black jacket, white shirt, black top hat, black shoes, and a belt. "H-Hello, campers, viewers, and cross-dressing Chef," He gestured down to the judge's table to Chef, then looked back to the camera. "T-To pay homage to one of the best Broadway shows of 2016, we have Henry and Graham singing 'Dear Theodosia', the reprise, from _Hamilton!"_

Henry was the first to walk onstage to sing Aaron Burr's verse of the song, wearing black dress pants, a white shirt, a black vest, black tuxedo jacket, a red tie, and black dress shoes. Despite being raised in such an unideal environment, the way he sang was nothing short of beautiful. Musicality was a talent that didn't require expensive lessons or a nice background to tend to, and it was clear as Henry poured his heart and soul into the lyrics.

Soon, Graham joined him to sing Alexander Hamilton's verse of the song, dressed in a black dress shirt with a green plaid tie over-top a white t-shirt, black dress pants, and black dress shoes. A small, barely noticeable black hanky was tucked within his pocket, too. The two harmonized together in a mellifluous piece of music, which had people clapping and wiping their eyes at the end.

"Man, you just don't get music like this anymore." Chris articulated as he moved onstage, wiping his eyes. "That, folks, gets a 9! How will the Bass top this? Let's introduce manager Adam, to find out!"

Adam zoomed onstage, wearing a purple dress shirt with black slacks, a black tie, and black shoes. "Hey, guys! My name is Adam, and I had the pleasure of serving as a temporary manager to a world-famous popstar! Introducing the Countess Contessa, singing one of her own songs with a new instrumental, played expertly on the violin by Maeve!"

Lauren and Maeve walked onstage, Lauren wearing a beautiful purple dress with gold trim, and purple heels, and Maeve wearing a burgundy, long sleeve dress, with lace sleeves, which extended down to her mid-calf, and black high heels. She carried on her violin, which she positioned and waited for Lauren to begin singing.

"Let the melody be heard as it sounds out in our heart…" Lauren began to sing as Maeve joined her on the violin, the tempo of the song slow to fit the violin. The song, originally an upbeat ballad about love, suddenly held a different meaning with the inclusion of the violin. It was as if this was a last goodbye to a departed lover, or an accumulation of all the words that couldn't be said.

"Oh, they are good." Sarah pushed her glasses up her nose, gazing in awe at the stage, which was washed in blue light. "We have to bring out A-game in the final round."

Once the song finished up, the Killer Bass jumped to the feet, cheering for the two. Lauren laughed, embracing Maeve, whose facial expression, unshockingly, did not change. "How masterful! Wonderful! A ten out of ten! The Killer Bass take the singing round!" Chris declaimed, waiting for the contestants to make their way back to their teammates.

"Now, for the final round, I will not only be drawing a manager, but a script advisor! The script advisor will be in charge of writing the dialogue for the final contest, an acting competition! The manager will oversee the process, and elect the actors needed to complete the task." Chris plunged his hand into the bowls, humming in content as he fished out two pieces of paper from each bowl.

"For the Killer Bass, the manager will be Sara, and the script advisor will be Hannah! For the Screaming Gophers, the manager will be Ricky, and the script advisor will be Jerry."

 **(BASS SIDE)**

Sara could hardly handle Hannah's excitement for this challenge, though she knew that if anyone were to write a script, Hannah would. "Okay, so Brittany and Daniel are the last two people that haven't done anything, so they are our actors. Will that work for you, Hannah?"

Hannah nodded her head enthusiastically, scribbling down on her pen and paper. "Trust me! My years of Fanfiction writing have prepared me for this moment!" She confirmed, giving Sara a thumbs up.

"Oh, kill me slowly…" Sara murmured, turning to Daniel and Brittany with a less-than-happy grin. "There's no point in me asking if you will be up to the task, because you will have to be."

Brittany rolled her eyes, spitting her gum out onto the ground. "This is worse than my vacation to Cozumel." She pouted, Daniel shaking his head in response. "Nothing like working with a spoiled Daddy's girl."

Brittany abrasively turned to Daniel, folding her arms over her chest. "You want to try sassing me again? Please do so, you useless-"

Sara slapped a hand atop of Brittany's palm, dragging both her and Daniel off to rehearse. "Yeah, yeah, save it for the stage."

 **(GOPHERS SIDE)**

"Looks like this will be a three person scene." Ricky gestured to Mariana, Sarah, and Elizabeth. "I say we do something that really matters, sort of like a nice commentary on-"

He turned to address Jerry, only to see that he wasn't there. "Where did Jerry go?" Ricky asked Mariana, who chuckled nervously. "He said something about needing alone time to flourish his muse, or something like that. I think we're gonna do great!"

"Analytically speaking, we have the odds of creating something quite beautiful here." Sarah added on, gesturing over to the Bass side. "With Sara and Hannah at the helm of their scene, as well as Brittany and Daniel, I predict that it's going to crash and burn very quickly."

"Hopefully, you're right." Ricky looked off, rubbing the back of his neck.

 **(ONE HOUR LATER; MAINSTAGE)**

"Ladies, gentleman, fish, land mammals, you have all stuck through two rounds of rigorous competition, and we have not even reached the apex! Here, on this stage, we will not only see the debut of new actors, but also new scripts! To get this ball rolling, let's have Ricky for the Screaming Gophers, with screenwriter, Jerry!"

Jerry was the first to walk on, wearing a powder blue tux. Chris, who extended the mic for Ricky, who was wearing a white button down shirt and black pants, was shocked to see that Jerry intercepted the piece of technology. "My piece of work is beautiful, and avant garde, and I doubt the minds of simpletons will even get it. But, alas, we will try. Debuting my new work called, 'Attack of the Killer Squash', here are Mariana, Elizabeth, and Sarah!"

Confused clapping made its way through the crowd, most of the campers exchanging confused glances. Ricky sat down beside Graham, who tapped him on the shoulder. "...Did you even get a word in about possibly changing the theme?"

Ricky shook his head, hiding his face to avoid watching the show. "Jerry said I couldn't watch, that it would taint the creative process, or something like that. This is my first time seeing it too."

The stage lit up to see Mariana, wearing a white long-sleeved t-shirt beneath a green sleeveless dress, with white shoes. "Oh, Farrah! The squash apocalypse has taken everything from me," she dramatically gestured to the other side of the stage, where Sarah entered, wearing a knee-length green dress and white heels. "But, not you."

The two embraced, Sarah pulled away in an overly dramatic fashion. "Oh, my, I am bursting with pheromones, my lovely lover, Blossom!"

Joshua gaped at the stage, quite shocked at the horrible display before him. But, Jerry was sitting smack-dab in the front, his lips moving with each word that expelled from the two women's lips.

Elizabeth moved on next, holding a fake gun, and a long, black dress, and a white ribbon in her hair. "Hey, I overheard some talk of love, and that doesn't last in a squash-pocalypse." She pretended to shoot the gun. "Bang."

Sarah fell to the ground, as if she were shot. "Oh my, I have been shot! The agony, the pain, my dear, sweet, Blossom, I will soon be one with the soil, which plant the squash that hath taken so much from us!"

On the Bass side, Albhe clenched his hand over his mouth, trying his hardest not to burst out laughing at the sight before him. "This is the best day of my life!" He squeaked.

Mariana joined Sarah on the ground, taking her hand. "Farrah! Oh no!" She rose to her feet, pointing at Elizabeth. "Who are you, mystery gunswoman!?"

Elizabeth looked directly at the audience. "I am you, from the future. I am here to tell you that this Farrah was actually the one who began the squash-pocalypse in the first place."

Mariana dramatically gasped, the stage all of the sudden fading to black.

"Wait, that was it?" Larry questioned as Jerry began clapping, joining the three women onstage. "What even was that?!" Larry further pressed, looking at his teammates.

Chris unsurely crossed the stage, clearing his throat into the mic. "Well, that was...creative, to say the least. We give it a solid four out of ten...we think?" He shrugged his shoulders, gesturing for the Gophers to clear the stage. "Next up, for the Killer Bass, we have Sara, and screenwriter, Hannah!"

Sara entered, wearing a black dress shirt and white jeans, with Hannah hot at her feet, wearing a black and pink knee-length dress. Sara took the mic, tapping atop of it to confirm it was on, nodding her head in confirmation when the sound moved through the audience. "Hey, so, there is not much I can say about this piece, other than that it is a," she pulled out a notecard, one that Hannah had clearly written for her. "A tale of pride and love between two people of different backgrounds." She read, her face morphing with pitied disgust over the words. "But, here is Hannah to explain more."

Hannah snatched the mic, looking eagerly to the audience. "For some background, Daniel is a commoner attending a school of the rich, and Brittany is the daughter of one of the school's man endorsers, and she is in an arranged marriage, but the two want each other!" She squealed, jumping up and down. "Here is my show, which I didn't title, because their love does not need a title!"

Sara sat down beside Jay, her head shaking rapidly. "Lord, take me now." She muttered, Hannah sitting beside her with her script open.

The stage lit up with Daniel and Brittany, Daniel in a white button-down shirt, black dress pants, and black dress shoes. Brittany stood across from him, in a beautiful gold and white cocktail dress, which was scoop-necked and long-sleeved. She wore white heels, her blonde hair down instead of up.

"You must believe me, Maekar, our financial incomes may be different, but our love is the same as any others!" Brittany recited the lines, her blue eyes displaying annoyance with the dialogue she was given to say.

"Elysha, you are to be married. Who am I, a poor man, and what can I offer that your fiance cannot?" He took her hands, Brittany cringing against his touch.

"Clearly, if you could offer me something, you wouldn't be a poor man." Brittany rifted, raising her eyebrows in challenge to Daniel.

"Why do you do that?" He shook away from her, looking at her with mild frustration. "You act so intelligent one second, and then the next you are back to being an intolerable bitch."

Hannah flipped desperately through the pages of her script, her eyes growing by with each passing piece of paper. "They're off book. This isn't in the script!" She whispered to Sara, who looked to the stage with wide, frightened eyes. "Oh, shit…"

Brittany laughed, resting her hands on her hips. "Well, Dan- Maekar, I don't know if you realized, but calling me a bitch isn't exactly the kindest thing, right?"

Daniel raised his hands, a cackle of disbelief escaping him. "What do YOU know about being kind!? The entire time I have known you, you and that dumb friend of yours are always putting people down!"

Johnathon looked from left to right, pointing to himself. "Is he talking about me?" He whispered to Lauren, who nodded her head in confirmation.

Daniel continued forward in his angered statements, clearly holding back some fury to Brittany. "You are the reason that people are awful, Brit-Elysha! Do you even realize the impact of who you are?"

Brittany pushed the male forward, narrowing her eyes. "What the hell? Please, stop taking whatever drugs you are on, because you are CLEARLY delusional!"

Daniel paused, approaching her and standing close to her face. "Delusional, huh? Am I delusional for being a poor, sad guy that has a thing for a blonde girl that would have looked right past me if it hadn't been for this?" He gestured around him, his voice suddenly kind, and soothing, which alarmed Brittany, who had stopped speaking entirely.

"Please tell me they are on script." Sara tapped Hannah's arm rapidly, who shook her head. "No. But this is so much better than what I had written!" Hannah confirmed Sara, shushing her after.

"Elysha," He paused, trying to keep his tangent within the context of the scene. "You are unbearable. You never say the right things, and you use your smarts to get back at those who wronged you. You are mean, bitter, and hateful, but I like that about you."

Brittany fumbled with her words, her gaze skirting from left to right as her chest rose and fell rapidly. He pushed himself forward, his lips pressing to hers in an attempt to silence her. Brittany froze in place, Sara's pace of hitting Hannah's arm only increasing. When Daniel pulled away, he kept his face close to hers, peering at her delicate features. "I may be a poor man, but I would give my life for you."

They both stopped speaking, the stage going to black. During that blackness, Brittany stormed off, leaving Daniel by himself. The crowd roared in response, Hannah laughing and waving her hand to everyone. "No one is to know about our off script fiasco." Hannah threatened Sara, who also waved.

"Oh, that's for sure." Sara agreed, silencing herself as Chris came onstage. "Drama! Romance! Fighting! Everything that _Total Drama_ stands for! The Killer Bass take the last challenge, and are the winners of this entire competition! Their reward will be a movie-night, right here in this ampitheatre!"

"As for the Screaming Gophers, time to send one of you packing!"

 **(GOPHERS CABIN; GIRL'S SIDE)**

"Didn't Graham have a nice voice?! Like, I knew he had a talent in something, but I had no idea he could sing!" Cami swooned, collapsing atop her bed. "Oh, happy day!"

Elizabeth laughed, adjusting her sailor's hat. "Henry also has a l-lovely voice.." She blushed, looking to her feet. "I hope he sings for me sometime."

Mariana flopped atop her bed, shaking her head. "Jerry has to go. He was the reason this competition was a flop!"

Ximena nodded her head in accordance with what Mariana was saying. "I agree, even an actress as brilliant as me would not be able to perform with such horrendous dialogue. Plus, he is not sociable, and he is an annoyance."

"Then we all agree, Jerry will be voted off tonight." Sarah shrugged on her everyday shirt, glancing in the direction of the boy's part of the cabin. "I have a feeling the boys will agree with us."

 **(GOPHERS CABIN; BOY'S SIDE)**

"Okay, Jerry is in the shower, so we all agree that he has to go?" Ricky asked for confirmation, looking around the room to each of the guys in the cabin. They all nodded, either in a state of disrobing or dressing themselves. "What the heck even was that script? It reminded me of an awful student project." Joshua chuckled, remembering the way that the three girls on his team sounded as they presented the god-awful dialogue.

"Too bad none of them will have this archived forever…" Henry trailed off, realizing the error of his ways as soon as Larry cut into his words. "W-We are on national television, Henry, and I am sure this will be uploaded to every social media platform."

"I have seen better plot and dialogue from the clips of porn introductions on Youtube." Graham joked, a rift of laughter moving through the males in the cabin.

"Do you frequent those often, Graham?" Larry alluded.

"Oh, bite me, Lawrence."

 **(CAMPFIRE CEREMONY)**

"Screaming Gophers, welcome to the campfire ceremony. If you do not receive a marshmallow tonight, you will proceed to the Dock of Shame, get on the Boat of Losers, and never come back!" Chris gave his usual spiel, holding a plate of ten marshmallows. "The first marshmallow goes to, Elizabeth!"

She pumped her fist, moving to claim her treat, and key to staying in the competition. "Henry and Ximena!" The pair moved forward, Henry bumping Elizabeth gingerly with his elbow, earning a small grin from her to him. "Graham, Joshua, and Cami!" Cami and Graham walked side by side, high-fiving each other with red cheeks, while Joshua watched them with fond grins.

"Ricky and Sarah!" Ricky sighed in relief, moving forward and grabbing his marshmallow Sarah at his feet, leaving Mariana and Jerry behind. Mariana appeared quite relaxed, and shockingly, so did Jerry. "Campers, there is one marshmallow left. The camper that will be staying is…

"Mariana!" Chris tossed the marshmallow to her, Mariana catching it in mid-air. Jerry rose to his feet, feverishly glaring at the campers before him. "But, my script was beautiful! They just didn't understand!"

"Please, Jerry. Save yourself the humiliation. Attack of the Squash was as big of a flop as Birdemic." Graham snapped, gesturing for the male to leave. Jerry hung his head, mumbling sourly in French as he made his way to the dock.

"This competition is heating up! What will happen next week?! Find out next time!" Chris pointed at the camera, concluding the outro for the episode.

 **(OUTDOOR AMPITHEATRE)**

"The killer is in the house!" Sara yelled to the projector that displayed the flunk of a film, _One Missed Call._ "This girl needs to learn how to throw objects at windows." Jay pretended to yawn, his arm extending to put over Sara's shoulders, which she slapped away. "I will cut your arm off." She snarled.

Maeve threw some popcorn into her mouth from the back of the crowd, Albhe sitting beside her. Maeve's gaze was unmoving from the screen as she extended her hand downward, Albhe glancing to the side and doing the same, intertwining his fingers with hers with a cocky smirk.

"The last time I saw this movie, it was with this chick I was trying to get with." Lauren told both Hannah and Adam, who she sat in the middle of. "She got scared, so I cuddled her the entire flick!" Lauren laughed, Adam joining in, though he stopped, as if he longed for something. He looked to the Screaming Gophers cabin in the distance, a long sigh escaping him. Lauren followed his line of sight, a sympathetic look crossing her face, but she wouldn't say anything. Not yet, anyways.

Daniel flopped down beside Brittany, who nearly gagged at the sight of him. "Kissing wasn't in the script, Daniel." She spat, glaring to the male in seething rage. "That was unwarranted!" She whisper-yelled, folding her arms over her chest.

Daniel shook his head, stealing a bucket of popcorn from her. "Brittany, it meant nothing. The script was garbage, and I knew if I were to get a rise out of you, we could get something great out of it. So, unwind your scrunchy, because none of it was serious." He reassured her.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"If it meant nothing, then I believe him." Brittany threw some popcorn into her mouth, shrugging her shoulders. "No reason for me not to. Plus, it makes me feel a hell of a lot better. Our types don't work together at all." She popped some more popcorn into her mouth, appearing rather bored.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Holy hell, it meant nothing!" Daniel yelled once more, shaking his head in exasperation. "You people are desperate to milk every interaction as if it has some bigger meaning. Brittany is the worst, and she is not my type." He reassured the camera.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Hannah giggled sadistically, scribbling down more notes in her notepad that she had gotten to write her script in. "My ships always become canon! Adam and Ricky, Brittany and Daniel, just you wait! You'll see!" She continued to giggle, just as the camera faded to black.

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**


	10. Click

_**well, here it is! might i say, holy heck is this chapter something. i took inspiration from my favorite episode of** **avatar: the last airbender** **, which is "tales from ba sing se". i love the short narratives, each of them having different tones. my favorite one is actually the cami and graham one. i really hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoyed writing it :)). this would not be possible if it weren't for your lovely OCs, so thank you SO much!**_

 __"Previously on Total Drama Return!" Chris began the show, shots from the previous episode taking over the screen. "Each team had to show us the meaning of being a celebrity, with three challenges in dancing, singing, and acting. Ximena and Joshua lit up the stage for the Screaming Gophers in the dancing competition, while Lauren and Maeve put their hearts on their sleeves for the singing competition."

"It all came down to the acting competition, where Jerry's script totally flunked for the Screaming Gophers, but Brittany and Daniel's off-script argument was enough to take it home for the Killer Bass!" A shot of Daniel kissing Brittany played, followed by Sara and Hannah's shocked reactions.

"At the campfire ceremony, due to Jerry being the reason that the Screaming Gophers losing the challenge, Jerry was sent packing!"

A shot of Chris popped up, with him twirling a set of handcuffs. "How will the campers do this week? Is there romance in the air? Find out this and more on the most dramatic episode yet! Right here on,

TOTAL! DRAMA! RETURN!"

 **(OPENING INSTRUMENTAL OF THE THEME)**

It showed a sped up exterior of the island, just as the camp was being built atop of it, from day to night.

 **(DEAR MOM AND DAD I'M DOING FINE, YOU GUYS ARE ON MY MIND)**

The camera followed Chris as he walked across the dock, his face being dabbed with translucent powder by an anxious looking intern, while another held his Diet Coke, which he sipped with a cocky look on his face. As the powder accumulated in a cloud on his face, he sneezed, spitting the sticky, soda contents onto the poor intern that was serving him his drink.

 **(YOU ASKED ME WHAT I WANTED TO BE, AND NOW I THINK THE ANSWER IS PLAIN TO SEE)**

The camera zoomed in on the beach, where Graham was building a sandcastle, and Cami stepped across it, paying homage to the famous monster movie, 'Godzilla'. She laughed, and Graham rolled his eyes, face-palming in exasperation.

 **(I WANNA BE FAMOUS)**

The camera showed a shot of the center of the camp, with Jayden approaching Sara with a water gun, who was facing away from him. Suddenly, Sara sharply pivoted, revealing herself to be holding a water gun of her own, which she unleashed on Jayden with a maniacal cackle, chasing him off frame.

 **(I WANNA LIVE CLOSE TO THE SUN)**

Brittany sat outside of the Killer Bass cabin, wearing her white bikini, her figure being shaded by Danny, who was holding a large lead canopy over her, shaking his head in annoyance.

 **(SO PACK YOUR BAGS CAUSE I'VE ALREADY WON)**

The camera moved into the Killer Bass cabin on the boy's side, where Daniel laid snoozing on his bed, only to be awaken by Johnathon, who was trying to pick between two polo shirts, each of them slightly different hues of white. Daniel threw his pillow at Johnathon, causing Johnathon to scream.

 **(EVERYTHING TO PROVE, NOTHING IN MY WAY, I'LL GET THERE ONE DAY)**

The camera scooted to the stairs Gopher cabin, where Joshua and Sarah were doing impressions of celebrities, making Lawrence laugh, and then eventually fall backward.

 **(CAUSE I WANNA BE FAMOUS)**

The camera scooted inside of the dining hall, where Ricky and Adam were idly talking, Hannah watching eagerly from the side and nodding her head in approval. Chef watched, clearly fuming in anger as Mariana snuck into the kitchen, adding herbs and spices to whatever gruel he was cooking, prompting her to be chased out of the back door.

 **(NANANA'NANAANA NANA NANA)**

The camera zoomed out to reveal the theatre, where Rosa cheered over Lauren's performance, until she was pushed offstage by Ximena, a spotlight casting onto the female as she began to dramatically monologue, making Rosa cringe at the sight.

 **(I WANNA BE, I WANNA BE, I WANT TO BE FAMOUS!)**

The camera quickly moved into the forest, where Henry was swinging from the vines, Elizabeth latched onto his back, who was laughing hysterically. Henry released the vine, sending them both splashing into the water.

 **(I WANNA BE, I WANNA BE, I WANT TO BE FAMOUS)**

The water got onto Jerry, who was laying on the ground, making sand-angels, all while Nicole watched, maniacally moving her fingers against each other, a murderous grin on her face. Suddenly, Jerry tossed sand into the air, the sky changing from daytime to nighttime.

 **(WHISTLE)**

The camera moved to show Maeve standing in front of the campfire, Albhe desperately trying to woo Maeve. Just as he leaned forward to rest his arm upon her head like an armrest, Maeve stepped backward, causing Albhe to fall flat to the ground.

The camera zoomed out, revealing the campers surrounding the fiery inferno, the words 'Total Drama Return' appearing on the screen.

 **(START OF SHOW; THE DOCK)**

The sun was bright in the sky, and instead of keeping themselves locked up in their cabins, the members of the Screaming Gophers and the Killer Bass decided to seize the day, and hang out around the shoreline. People were clearly enjoying themselves, participating in stereotypical beach games, such as a rowdy round of 'Chicken Fight in the water. Cami was atop of Graham's shoulders, and Elizabeth on Henry's.

On the shore, Adam and Ricky seemed to be having a rather nice discussion, which Lauren watched from her spot beside Sara and Hannah. "Man, I cannot wait to merge." Lauren admitted, shifting so she was sitting on her knees. "I love the Killer Bass, but it is really nice to see everyone talking to one another."

Hannah nodded in correspondence to what Lauren had said, twirling her pencil in elaborate movements. "I know, it will be fun to see the interactions between two members of an OTP that are on separate teams right now."

Sara, becoming annoyed with the visual of the pencil dancing in the air, snatched the writing utensil from Hannah, and tossed it to the side. Hannah gasped, running after it with her arms outstretched. "I need this to log the interactions between this season's ships!"

The pencil landed in front of Mariana, Sarah, Brittany, Ximena, and Maeve, who were all sitting in a circle together. "So, you're telling me that kiss between you and Daniel was unscripted?" Sarah asked Brittany with interest, glancing over her shoulder to where the boys were playing soccer.

"Yeah, it was to add melodrama. There is nothing going on between us, though." Brittany smirked as she observed the heat of the soccer game, the ball moving from Johnathon over to Daniel. "How about you guys? Are there any romances over on the Screaming Gophers?"

Ximena tossed a wave over her shoulder, adjusting so she was laying on the ground, propped up by her forearms. "Elizabeth and Henry have some sparks flying, as do Cami and Graham. But, all four of them are so clueless, I doubt they even realize what they are feeling." A mysterious smirk drew over her face as she watched Albhe, who blatantly picked up the soccer ball to Joshua's protests.

"I think Albhe is aesthetically pleasing, he really did catch my eye during that *NSYNC dance." Ximena's words emitted a reaction from Maeve, which consisted over her looking up from her book.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Shockingly, no one has caught onto the fact that Albhe and I are a thing." Maeve informed the viewers at home, her arms folding over her chest. "I do not wish for my fellow contestants to know, as Albhe will become a target. Targets are weakness, and I am not about being weak."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"I only have two loves, and they are my daughter, Danielle, and my fiance." Sarah spoke, her voice taking on a softer tone when speaking of her child. "I remember how much of a tribulation it was for me to decide if be on this show or not, but it was Danielle who convinced me. She said it would be funny for her to see her mommy on TV."

Mariana opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by the sound of Henry's yelling. "Albhe! You can't pick up the ball! It's soccer, you dumbass!" The girls turned to look at the source of the noise, only to see Albhe clutching the ball close to his bare chest. "HEY, my lack of athleticism has nothing to do with my lack of intelligence, thank you."

Larry stepped between the two, hoping to stop the confrontation. "G-Guys, relax! Now, Albhe knows, and we can continue playing the game." He optimistically interjected, just as Chris snatched the ball from them. "I don't think so! We have a challenge to get to, ladies and gentleman! So, go ahead and get changed, and be back here in five minutes!"

 **(FIVE MINUTES LATER)**

"Campers, this challenge is going to be very different than what you have experienced so far!" Chris denounced, Joshua and Graham exchanging nervous glances at the news. "I will not be stepping in until the end, and I will only be stepping in to announce the winners!"

"This next challenge is based around the dynamic duo, Katie and Sadie. Now, we are fully aware that the two were eliminated at two different times, but you can't have one without the other! After _Total Drama,_ the two attended the same university, where they got the same major, got a job at the same magazine, and went on to fall in love with twins! They are now sister-in-laws."

Hannah clasped her hands together, emitting a pleased sound at the news. "How cute!" She exclaimed, making Sara roll her eyes. Chris cleared his throat, pushing forward. "This challenge will be focused on friendship! Based on the interactions between you campers throughout the competition so far, we have paired you together, and you will be sent to a specified area, and you will have to spend the day with each other, without leaving your specified area! Myself and the producers will be watching everyone, and whoever entertains us the most will win this challenge for their team!"

"So, this challenge essentially is reliant on how much we can be friendly with each other? Great, I lose." Maeve mumbled, shaking her head.

Chris produced a piece of paper from his pocket. "For the Killer Bass, the pairs will be the following: Jay and Sara, Johnathon and Hannah, Daniel and Brittany, Adam and Lauren, and Maeve and Albhe! For the Screaming Gophers, the pairs are as follows: Elizabeth and Henry, Cami and Graham, Ricky and Larry, Joshua and Ximena, and Sarah and Mariana!"

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Sara appeared outraged, her fists clenching in anger. "Why do I have to be paired with Jay!? I already know, he's going to pull something weird. Just wait."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"I can't wait to be paired up with Graham!" Cami clapped her hands together, the prospect of being together with Graham for several hours exciting to her. "He's my best friend in the competition!"

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Why the vocal commoner!?" Johnathon yelled, pointed his hands to the sky in agony. "Am I being punished?! Can I pay my way out of the punishment?!" He removed his wallet, thrusting it to the sky. "Hey, you up there, take it all!"

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

Chris sneered as the campers walked off, and he turned to face the camera. "What will this challenge bring to our favorite group of teens? Don't go away, we will be right back!"

 **(COMMERCIAL BREAK)**

 **(LOCATION: THE CAMPFIRE. PAIR: HENRY AND ELIZABETH)**

"Do you know how to build a fire, Henry?" Elizabeth inquired, poking at the logs with a long stick. Henry laid down on the ground, shaking his head as he peered up at the blue sky. "I'm actually not the biggest fan of fire." He kept his answer short, which Elizabeth took note of. Waddling beside him, she sat down beside him, tipping her head as she peered at his face.

"May I ask why?" Elizabeth wasn't a nosy person. Whenever she requested something personal of people, it wasn't for her own gain, rather she wanted to help the other person to the best of her ability. Her altruism spoke measures about the type of person she was.

Henry paused, looking up to the girl before him. He had never met someone so understanding of him, and willing to accept him because of it. "I almost died when I was 12, and fire was involved." He kept his response vague once again, as he wasn't the greatest with elaborations.

Elizabeth bit the inside of her cheek, formulating her words within her head before she said them. "W-Well, it's okay to be scared! Fear doesn't mean we have failed, it just means we have evolved. Plus, your fear doesn't make y-you a bad player. To be honest, you are the most athletic person on this island, and you have p-played a good game so far."

Henry leaned up so he was in a sitting position, facing her while keeping his eyes on her face. Elizabeth smiled, adjusting her sailor's hat atop her head. "I-I have traveled around the world, met very interesting people, and seen b-beautiful places. But, no one compares to the people I have met here."

Henry's eyes grew wide as he observed her rise to her feet, as she seemed to have heard something. How could someone so kind exist in a world like this? It almost made him believe in angels, for there was no possible way that a girl was motivated by doing good for others, instead of herself.

Selfishness was something every human had, at least in Henry's opinion, but Elizabeth challenged that theory. "H-Henry! There's a baby bird stuck in this tree, and I can't reach him!" Elizabeth snapped him out of his thoughts, a small, fond grin taking over his features at the sight of Elizabeth jumping up and down, trying to reach the baby bird.

In a few short strides, Henry was behind her, lifting her up by the waist to reach the branch. Elizabeth extended her hands, gingerly cupping the small bird in her palms. "O-Okay, you can let me down." She articulated, her feet making small kicking movements in the air until they touched the ground.

"What are you gonna do with the bird?" Henry asked, sticking his hands in his pockets. Elizabeth looked down, the bird making small chirping noises within her palms. "W-Well, he is took weak to fly right now. I-I want to raise him, until he has the strength to fly! H-He can be the mascot for the Screaming Gophers!"

Elizabeth sat down on one of the stumps, furrowing her brow in thought. "What if we named him Tweetie, o-or something else that's cute for a bird?" She fished through possible name ideas, Henry approaching Elizabeth and standing beside her. "How about Edgar Allan Crow?" He suggested, hopeful that he got the pun right. Edgar Allan Poe had been a writer he heard about in school at one time.

Elizabeth's grin broadened as she nodded her head, a giggle escaping her. "Edgar Allan Crow is perfect!"

Henry chuckled, looking from the bird, and then to Elizabeth. Only she could make a dumb bird name sound so correct.

 **(LOCATION: THE BEACH. PAIR: JAY AND SARA)**

Tension was in the air between the two, so much so that Sara was faced away from the male, idly occupying herself with a makeshift sandcastle, that didn't exactly hold together correctly due to the imbalanced ratio between sand and water.

"So, do you like the movies?" Jay asked after a few moments of sullen silence, to which Sara replied with a short, "No."

Jay tapped his foot, puffing his cheeks full of air and expelling the air around him. "Do you like shopping?"

Sara continued to pat the sand into what appeared to be a pile, her response the same as the last. "No."

"Then what do you like?" Jay pressed, meandering over to her and sitting in front of her sand castle. He jumped as Sara's fists plunged into the sand, sending sparse grains flying around them. "I would like it if you would stop pestering me!" She snapped, turning so her back was facing him.

Jay didn't bother walking to the other side of Sara, instead he remained seated, staring at the back of her head. "The point of this challenge is to get to know each other and be friendly with one another." Jay retorted, narrowing his eyes at her.

Sara frowned, sighing reluctantly as she turned to face him again. "Listen, I'm not all that mean. Sure, I can be hot-headed, and bossy, and demanding at times, but I'm a chill person. I actually like quite a few people on our team."

"Oh, yeah?" Jay challenged, folding his arms over his chest. "Who do you like on the Killer Bass?"

Sara noted the shift in his voice from curiosity to skepticism, and met his cocky look with narrowed eyes. "I happen to enjoy the company of Hannah, as of the last challenge, when she isn't ranting about Tumblr or whatever anime she watches. Also, Lauren is pretty tolerable."

Jay chuckled, moving his fingers through his hair. "I guess I was wrong, the Grinch's heart has grown three sizes due to the Killer Bass."

Sara scoffed, grabbing the male by his collar. "Oh, yeah?! I know you aren't some nice guy, Jay." She stood back, smirking at him. "Yeah, Larry told me about the way you are at home. You are manipulative, a prankster, and super sly. Why haven't you shown that off yet?"

Jay frowned, averting his gaze to the pile of sand that separated them. "Haven't really had the reason to, more or less waiting for the merge. Not to rag on our team, but the more kind-hearted ones are over on the Screaming Gophers. Everyone on the Killer Bass would notice my gung-ho attitude in two seconds flat."

Sara contemplated her options for a moment, before holding her hand out to him. "Then let's be an alliance. I can help us get to the merge." She offered up, her gaze moving from her hand, to him. "Well?"

Jay slapped his palm against Sara's, shaking her hand. "Well, well, well, Saraphina, I am glad you have finally taken note of my expertise! I know it will be only a matter of time before you fall in love with me!"

Sara forced a laugh, rapidly shaking her head. "Oh, I doubt that." The camera panned out to show that behind her back, she had her fingers crossed.

 **(LOCATION: DINING HALL. PAIR: XIMENA AND JOSHUA)**

"I simply do not understand the use of this challenge. It gives me less time to be the star!" Ximena melodramatically rose to her feet, pacing around the dining hall. Joshua, who was clearly exasperated with Ximena's narcissism, flopped his head down on the table, covering it with his forearms.

"I think you are reading into it too much, Ximena." Joshua addressed the female, not bothering to lift his head. "Plus, we're all stars here. All of the contestants pretty much create a constellation."

Ximena rejected his words with a roll of her eyes, her hand habitually moving to her side. "Oh, silly me. I was about to reach into my pocket and remove my phone. I do have 2.5 million Instagram followers." She bragged, flipping her healthy locks. "Ugh, my hair feels so disgusting. I need a spa day."

"Maybe you'll get one as a reward?" Joshua continued to counter Ximena's words with optimistic responses, which Ximena went out of her way to reject, favoring her own self-pity over the positive idealism of Joshua. "Given that our team wins! Gosh, some of us happen to be so incompetent. They are choosing friendships instead of playing the game."

Joshua didn't offer a reply, instead he lifted his head, his head resting on his palm, as he listened to her continue on. "The Killer Bass are interesting because they play a game, and we are boring because we sit around and hold hands." She looked down at her hands, frowning at the state of her cuticles. "Oh, how sad. My nails are also disgusting. My life is so hard!"

A ring of amused laughter escaped Joshua as he gaped at her in disbelief, swiveling in his seat to face her. "Are you really saying that your life is hard? With your 2.5 million Instagram followers, and your TV show, and loving parents who helped you get that role on your show?" He asked rhetorically, hoping she would be intelligent enough not to provide an answer.

"Well, Joshua-" She began to reply, but Joshua cut her off. "I am not trying to deny the fact that your life is hard, but please realize that everyone has struggles in their life. I am not going to invalidate your struggles if you would just realize how fortunate you are."

Ximena was at a loss for words as she stared at Joshua, her face a mix of anger, pity, and sadness. "Well, what do YOU know about struggle? I'm sure your parents paid for you to come here."

Joshua chuckled sadly, looking down at his feet. "Au contraire, my parents are dead. It's just my little brother, Miles, and I. I'm doing this for him, and I'm not afraid to do anything to be sure that he gets the future he deserves, whether it may be betraying a friend, or doing something shady. I'm doing this competition so I can be assured that he will be okay."

Ximena appeared guilty, her face falling as she scampered off to the kitchen, fishing around in the large freezer for a moment before plucking out a large pint of ice cream, and a spoon from what she hoped to be the clean side of the dishes. Setting it down in front of him, she raised her brows expectantly. "It isn't vegan, so I can't eat it, but I always enjoy something sweet when I'm down. It's also an apology. I have a great life, one that I am super fortunate to have, and one that people long for. I should realize that I don't need to flash it around like a new Rolex."

Joshua removed the lid to the ice cream, digging the spoon in and savoring the sweet flavor. "It's no problem! I don't need an apology." He smiled, flicking some ice-cream at her. "I didn't say that stuff because I was angry, rather I just wanted you to realize the lesson I was trying to give you. It was blunt, sure, but a lot of the time blunt honesty is what people need."

Ximena gasped, chortling as she brushed ice cream off of her. "You know, Joshua, you were right about all of us being stars, and I think you are one of the brightest this sky has to offer."

He feigned shock, tossing his hand in hopes of dismissing the subject. "Oh, stop you." He set the ice-cream to the side, rising to his feet. "How about we fish around the kitchen, and you can show me a vegan recipe, or something like that?"

Ximena squealed, excitedly grabbing his hand and dragging him off to the kitchen. "It's a deal!"

 **(LOCATION: THE CAVE. PAIR: JOHNATHON AND HANNAH)**

Johnathon could not have been more angry in that moment. He figured he would be paired with Brittany, given their friendship that had blossomed during the competition, but alas, he was paired with the girl that he had vocalized his hatred for since the beginning. Johnathon couldn't say he blamed Chris, but a couple of hours with the vocal commoner made him want to drop out of the competition all-together.

"That is why I think that _Ouran High School Host Club_ is one of the finer examples of a reverse harem done right. Haruhi is a female protagonist that does not care about her gender, and she does not get all blushy whenever a male counterpart flirts with her. She is the perfect example of how the genre can be portrayed in a more realistic light." Hannah dictated, appearing quite satisfied with what she came up with.

"What are you even talking about half of the time?!" Johnathon yelled, frantically facing her with wide eyes. "You say words I do not understand, and I dine with the English elite! It is rather irritating!"

Hannah tipped her head, her lips forming into an 'O'. "Oh, you do not understand because you do not watch anime. Classic, a white, cisgendered male does not indulge in what Japan has to offer, I cannot say that I am surprised."

Johanthon looked longingly at the cave wall, half-considering just smashing his head and purposefully giving himself a concussion.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I knew that the money I had would be of little influence to her, and I also knew that this challenge was riding on the idea of us getting along. Plus, if she grew to like me, I could use her to vote off those I want out of the competition." Johnathon hypothesized while rubbing his chin. "Well, I must swallow my pride and do what I need to do to win this competition."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

"W...What even is _Ouran High School Host Club?"_ Johnathon uttered, tapping his fingers against the stone floor below him. Hannah clapped her hands, waving them about as she prepared to indulge him in the details of this plot. "It is a romance anime about a girl named Haruhi, and her adventures as she transfers to a school for the wealthy and elite!"

Now, though Johnathon hated to admit it, the idea intrigued him. A commoner in a wealthy school? How taboo! "Yes, and what else?" He pried, trying to appear bored, though he wished to know more about the plot.

"Well, she gets involved in a Host Club, where girls are able to make appointments to spend time with a guy! Think of an escort service for flirting. Haruhi becomes debted to the club after she breaks a vase, and she is forced to join the club as a host! But, the hosts think Haruhi is a male! Slowly but surely, they realize her true gender, but she must masquerade her gender to the customers if she is to pay off her debt."

Johnathon straightened his posture, appearing nonchalant with the action. In reality, the plot had perked him up quite a bit. "I understand why the males did it. If a commoner were to break a vase of mine, they would be in debt to me."

Hannah pointed at him, her eyes growing wide. "You remind me of Tamaki! The show's main protagonist, and the show's handsome prince type!" She whipped out her script, flipping through a few pages. "Tamaki is a rich, social type who happens to be the club's leader. Slowly, through each episode, he comes to realize that he is in love with Haruhi!"

"T-They get together, right?" Johnathon realized the nature of his voice, clearing his throat in hopes that she would pass it off as nothing. Hannah nodded her head, though suddenly she furrowed her brows. "Well, it has not gotten a season 2 in the anime, but in the manga they get married!"

"I would fund this project myself." Johnathon informed Hannah, who gripped his shoulders with wide eyes. "Would you fund a season 2 of _Ouran High School Host Club?!"_

Johnathon rolled his eyes, but nodded his head. She pulled away, cheering while clapping her hands. "Goodie! Let me tell you about another anime I love, _Neon Genesis Evangelion!"_

Johnathon looked to the wall again, knowing that despite his mild interest, that the concussion option still stood.

 **(LOCATION: BOY'S SIDE OF THE GOPHER CABIN. PAIR: RICKY AND LARRY)**

Ricky, having always been obsessed with cleanliness, decided to use the time given in the boy's side of the Gopher cabin to clean up. Some of the guys on his team were not the cleanest of people, and Ricky was too afraid of direct confrontation to say anything to them. So, he suffered in silence, which was why he was so grateful to be given the location he was.

"I am so glad I am finally able to clean this pigsty, and that I found cleaning supplies in the communal bathroom closet." Ricky opened the window, disposing of a large pile of dust that he had gathered on a dustpan. "So, not only do we get to bond, but we get to make this place more homely in the process!"

Larry scrubbed a window with a paper towel, smiling at the prospect of the cabin being clean. "Y-Yeah, this is really fun. I help out around the house all the time!"

Ricky hummed in content, taking his broom back to the ground. "So, tell me about yourself, Larry. We haven't really had much time to sit down and talk to one another, given the competition and everything."

Larry tapped the nozzle of his Clorox against his chin, before he spritzed one dirty window with the blue liquid, taking a paper towel to it. "Well, I love art. I-I have won a lot of awards in drawing, and I am actually sort of a girl magnet back home. I-I'm grateful that the girls here aren't interested in me."

Ricky laughed, gathering some dust from beneath one set of bunks and sweeping it into the dustpan. "I live in Las Vegas with my mom. She works really hard, and taught me how to cook, clean, and be an overall swell guy. At school, I am everyone's best friend, and I play baseball."

Larry looked over his shoulder, raising his eyebrows mysteriously at Ricky. "D-Do you have a special someone at home?"

"Down, boy!" Ricky sat down on his bed, releasing his long, black locks from his bun, and re-tying it so locks of hair weren't falling in his face. "I do not, currently, but I do have my eyes on someone."

"I-It's Adam." Larry finished for Ricky, stopping his own cleaning to sit against the wall, spreading his legs out in front of him. "Why don't you go for it?"

Ricky shrugged his shoulders, reaching down in his suitcase below him, and pulling out a separate box, which was filled with treats. Tossing a bag of Skittles to Larry, Ricky dug into a chocolate bar. "It's complicated. I'm attracted to Adam, sure, but I don't really know how to go about confessing that to him. When I was 14, I told a guy I had a crush on him, and he went around and told everyone. Sort of turns me off to confessions, you know?"

Larry threw a Skittle at Ricky, which hit him atop the head. Ricky confusedly stared at Larry, rubbing the place where the Skittle had made impact. "Ricky, i-if you conceal your emotions, y-you will forever be haunted by what could have been!"

"You had to throw a Skittle at me to tell me that?" Ricky chuckled, shaking his head, and rising to his feet. "You are something else, Larry. I'm glad we have you over here on the Gophers instead of Jay."

"Y-You don't have to tell me that twice." Larry began to scrub the windows again, pausing to look over his shoulder at Ricky, who was sweeping the floor with a look of placid determination on his face. Larry realized in that moment, that Ricky reminded him of the father he lost so long ago.

 **(LOCATION: BOATHOUSE. PAIR: BRITTANY AND DANIEL.)**

"Never have I ever had a job." Brittany admitted, a groan following from Daniel, who was sitting across from her. "Boring! I work practically every day of my life. You have to step your game up, Blondie."

Luckily for Brittany and Daniel, the two could stand each other's company. Brittany knew that passing time with Daniel wouldn't be equivalent to being tortured, and Daniel felt the same way. Brittany had been the one to suggest playing 'Never Have I Ever', much to Daniel's dismay. Brittany coerced him into it, knowing that the game was much more fun when the players were intoxicated, but she would settle with happily sober in a boathouse.

"Okay, give me your best shot, Daniel." Brittany, appearing rather confident, used her index finger to gesture at him to come forward. "Don't hold back, I am an open book."

Daniel was glad to accept her challenge. "Fine. Never have I ever passed out at a party." He stared Brittany down as she nodded her head, her face changing from one of challenge to one of pleasure.

"Oh God, this is the funniest story. I went to this youth group party that wasn't serving alcohol, and I spiked the punch. Let's just say, those teens were studying more than their Bibles." She laughed, Daniel meeting her delight of the situation with a look of both horror and joint-amusement.

"You are wicked." He said through chuckles, gingerly punching her arm. "Your parents probably killed you for that, right?"

Brittany's smile suddenly dropped, her blue eyes clouding with emotion. "Uh, I don't live with my parents. They are both diplomats, and live in France. I live with my aunt in Los Angeles." The grin was back, and even brighter than before. "But during the summers, I get to have beautiful vacations to France!"

"You only get to see your parents during the summer? That must suck." Daniel began to further delve into the matter, something that Brittany clearly didn't enjoy. "Hey, Pinocchio? I didn't realize your nose grew three sizes, because it's in my business. Let's stop playing, Ask Brittany Personal Questions, and let's play Never Have I Ever." Brittany snapped. "Never have I ever seen fireworks."

"You've NEVER seen fireworks!?" Daniel leaned forward, shocked at the epiphany that the rich didn't have it all under control. "Not even at Fourth of July?"

Brittany shook her head, her lips puckering as if she had tasted something sour. "I really want to, okay? Apparently, since things aren't saucy enough for you, I will get down to the real shit. Never have I ever been in love."

This stopped Daniel's positive attitude, his laughs and quips to Brittany halting before him. "Her name was Rachel." Daniel began, which Brittany found to be surprising. "Daniel, you don't have to-"

"She was my friend, and she was sociable, and beautiful, and life enjoys those like that. She thrived, and I fell. It's sort of why I didn't think of you as a formidable player at first, because she turned to people like you to be friends with, instead of me. It was dumb of me to think that."

Brittany cringed, mildly due to the fact that she had no idea how to express her sympathy to people, nor was she used to people fessing up their personal mumbo-jumbo to her. "Hey, how about we take that nap?"

Daniel feverishly nodded in agreement, laying down so he was facing away from Brittany, sprawling his limbs out so he could be comfortable. Brittany laid her back to him, instead curling up into a compact ball. "You aren't a bad guy, Daniel." Brittany sympathized after a few moments. "You're...okay."

"Ditto to you." Daniel glanced over his shoulder at her, parting his jaws so a loud yawn could expel from his lips. "Night, Blondie."

Brittany yawned shortly after him, closing her eyes. "Night, Pinocchio."

 **(LOCATION: GIRL'S SIDE OF THE GOPHER CABIN. PAIR: SARAH AND MARIANA)**

"I think Ricky and Larry just finished their cleaning, because I can no longer hear Ricky giving Larry cleaning tips." Mariana joked to Sarah, who was sitting on her bed and looking down at her feet, clearly deep in thought. "Hey, Sarah? Are you okay?" Mariana's maternal side instantly took over as she took a seat beside Sarah.

"I don't know, I am just thinking about Danielle. I can't help but to feel guilty, because I just left her to play in this game. I know the guilt is unjustified, but I feel like part of me is missing because I don't have Danielle around." Sarah admitted. Beams of orange sunlight poured into the room, illuminating different shadows around the cabin, which was in much better condition due to Mariana's dexterity for cleaning.

"You being in this competition does not make you a bad mother, Sarah. Do not even think that for a second." Mariana chastised Sarah, taking her friend's hand and squeezing it. "You are just being a mother right now. You are holding a type of longingness that is common for mothers when they are aware from their children for long periods of time."

Sarah leaned her head on Mariana's shoulder, expelling a loud sigh from her lips. "Mariana, you are the first true friend I have ever made. I am so used to disposing of people and moving through life as if it were a giant chess game, but your loving nature has made me realize the importance of being there for those around me, and I thank you for that."

Mariana was not used to being thanked. Her maternal nature was habitual for her, and for some it was annoying, while others took it in. It was different with Sarah, as Mariana was being maternal to someone who was actually a maternal figurehead in someone's life.

"You make me want to be a better mother, Mariana." Sarah affirmed, the sentence making tears move into Mariana's eyes. Mariana backed away, wiping her eyes with an awkward chuckle. "Stop it! You are going to make me cry!" Mariana protested, observing Sarah as she rose to her feet.

"No, it's true! You are so warm, and kind, and caring, and you are such a light in my life. I have never had a best friend before, and I am so glad it's you. I was predisposed to entering this game and using people left and right, but you challenged my beliefs by being kind and welcoming to me," Sarah stepped forward, hugging the female close. "I thought those proverbs about kindness being the way to succeed at life were so dumb, but you made me realize the truth in them, and I thank you for that."

Mariana wrapped her arms around Sarah, hugging the female close, being careful not to squeeze hard enough that Sarah's glasses would smush against her face. "Thank you, Sarah, thank you so much."

"No, Mariana. Thank you."

 **(LOCATION: CLIFFSIDE. PAIR: MAEVE AND ALBHE)**

Maeve regarded Albhe with lethargy as he stood at the cliffside, his hands propped on his hips, as he inhaled deeply. "You know, nature is so damn cool! Like, this cliff was just MADE, and now it's HERE." He sat down, his legs swinging over the edge. Glancing over his shoulder at Maeve, who was still reading, he groaned in annoyance. "Hey, Baby Bottle Pop, you aren't enjoying this beautiful sunset, but most of all, you aren't enjoying the more beautiful Albhe!"

Maeve did not allow her gaze to waver from the pages of _Crime and Punishment,_ one of her favorite books that she had packed with her. "I do not see the point to this challenge. Being kind is something most of these people on a daily basis, so why make a so-called 'challenge' out of it?"

Tipping his head back, Albhe meandered back to Maeve, placing his hand on her book and setting it down in front of her. "My chocolate drop, I do not understand you. One moment, you are so frigid that you might as well be polar, and another moment you are crawling to me. Why are you like that?"

Maeve rolled her eyes, taking her book and lightly hitting him with it. "I do not need to justify myself to you."

"ALSO, I have never seen you smile!" Albhe pushed her cheeks upward so her lips would curl into a forced grin. "You have dimples, I am sure that your smile would be beautiful!"

"Gosh, just let go of me! I know that after you and I get voted off, you will go back to your life of sleeping with girls and flirting with the cameras, and I will go off and graduate to be top of my class." Maeve pulled away from him, disregarding the hurt look on Albhe's face.

"You really are clueless, Maeve. Have you seen me flirt with anyone else since we kissed? I'll answer that, and it's a no. I've never really felt for anyone, except for one person," he paused, sitting in front of Maeve. "You don't have to say anything, just listen."

Maeve swallowed her pride, allowing herself to listen to him. "I was abused pretty much my entire life by my mom, who was more into my modeling career than I was." Albhe began, taking her hand and doodling small designs on her palm with his own finger. "I ran away to my friend, Shiloh, when I was 15. He took me in, and I fell in love with him. I kissed him, and he rejected me. Since then, I have been confused about every aspect of myself, from my sexuality, to my personality, to what I want to do with my life. I was raised on indulging in sin, instead of doing the right thing. When I met you, I thought you were going to just be another notch on my belt, but I-I actually really enjoy being around you. I'm scared though, Maeve."

As he spoke, Maeve could see the tears forming at the corners of his eyes. Every aspect of his words were genuine. "...It is okay to be confused and scared, Albhe." She spoke, her voice as monotonous as it always was, though her grip was strong on his hand. "Confusion just means you have to continue asking questions. It is okay to not have all of the answers right now. It makes life more eventful if we are confused."

In that moment, Maeve was more beautiful than she ever had been. Sure, he liked her feisty moments, but her words were soft.

"My brother, Dylan said that. He was two years older than me, and he was the most self-assured person I have ever met. He was so happy with life." Maeve informed Albhe, her grip growing in intensity, so much that her skin took on a different hue around the knuckles due to the pressure she exerted. "I-I thought he was happy. He didn't tell anyone about how people made fun of him in school, and the small group of friends he brought around the house were his only friends.

"He put his heart out for everyone around him, and they just crushed him day after day. When I was 13, I came home from school, and I found my parents crying. Dylan had killed himself when he got home." Maeve trembled, hanging her head as tears began to pour down her face. "H-He was so proud of life, and so willing to take it all in. How could someone so good die in such a bad way? It's why I'm so cold, and bitter, because there is no point being warm in a world that just sucks that all away."

Albhe leveled his gaze with her shaking figure, his arms gathering around her as he took her in his lap, cradling her and holding her close as she cried. "I am so sorry, Maeve. You are so incredible, you know that right? You are a leader, and you are intelligent, and beautiful, and deserving of everything that comes to you."

Maeve wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand, peering up at Albhe as he set her down, standing at the edge of the cliff. "Maeve Pierpont, I swear by my beautiful face that I will be there for you every step of the way!" He faced away from her, his hands resting on her hips. "A fair maiden should not be abandoned in a state of suffering!"

How the hell had Maeve allowed herself to get tangled up with such a doofus? Instead of thinking negatively, Maeve watched the male as he posed against the canvas of the pastel sky, his hands outstretched before him.

For the first time since the competition started, Maeve's lips naturally curled upward, her beautiful, straight set of teeth exposing themselves into a beautiful grin, her dimples exposing themselves, and her freckles seeming much more vibrant, and Albhe didn't turn in time to see it.

But, that was okay, there would be other smiles.

 **(LOCATION: DOCK. PAIR: CAMI AND GRAHAM)**

The sun had started to set, the sky painted with beautiful pastel oranges, pinks, and purples. "Holy heck, look at that sky! That is a sky you only get pictures of, my friend." Cami thrusted her hand to the sky, as if she could touch it. She formed her right and left index and middle fingers into a small square shape. "Click!" She vocalized, letting her hands fall to her sides.

"What are you even doing?" Graham had opted to lay down on the dock, instead of look out into the horizon. The sky must have been nice, since Cami was raging about it, but he didn't see the allure of getting caught up in the sky.

"I'm taking a mental picture! You take mental pictures of things that you find to be beautiful, or have a lot of meaning to you. That way, you will never forget them!" Cami elaborated, her deep green eyes sparkling in glee. Cami surveyed Graham for a moment, reaching down and taking his hand, trying her hardest to pull him up.

"Come on, you bum! Take a picture of the sky!" She demanded with mock-authority, tugging desperately at Graham's arm. Graham exhaled with exhaustion, Cami's never-ending ebullience physically draining him. "Tell me, what have you taken mental pictures of, Cami?"

Cami released Graham's arm, allowing him to stand on his own accord. "Well, a whole ton of things! I take mental pictures of my two older brothers, my friends, and my school life. I went on a trip to the zoo once, and I saw this HUGE elephant. That is one of my favorite mental pictures."

Graham stood, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "My life doesn't really seem worth having snapshots over." Graham's downright nihilistic personality was exhausting to most, but Cami worked with him, hoping for him to be happy. Cami tugged on his arm, pointing at the sun, which licked the horizon and cast a efflorescent gleam across the top of the water.

"There, this will be your first mental picture. The sunset in which you hung out with me, and learned about mental pictures." She rested her hands on her hips, smiling with pride. "I want to see you make the camera!"

Graham budged after a few moments, replicating the formation Cami's hands were in. "Now, click!" Cami persisted, beaming as Graham emitted a small, barely audible, "click".

"Life is too beautiful to allow to just pass by! Why sit back and let memories fade away, when you can have pictures of them forever?" Cami magnified, raising her shoulders in a hopeful shrug, looking out to the horizon again. Graham took the way her face lit up when it grinned, and how her eyes twinkled when she spoke of life. How could someone see life as confidently as she did? He didn't understand how she could take life all in without qualms, and part of him envied the quality, while another part of it admired her all the more for it.

" _You take mental pictures of things that you find to be beautiful, or have a lot of meaning to you. That way, you will never forget them!"_ Cami's words rang in Graham's head, the thought of them bringing a enamored smirk to his face.

Raising his hands up again, he formed the small square he created to frame around Cami's face. He didn't want to forget this moment with her. Graham wanted to remember how beautiful Cami was when she smiled, and how that grin challenged him to be a better man.

"Click."

 **(LOCATION: KILLER BASS CABIN STEPS. PAIR: LAUREN AND ADAM)**

"This challenge has to be almost over by now." Lauren squinted her gaze as the intense rays of the sun nearly blinded her. "Do you think the Killer Bass provided enough emotional material to win this challenge?"

Adam leaned against the left railing, stretching his legs so they laid across Lauren's lap. "Beats me, I don't see anyone on our team being the overly lovey type. Now, if this were a _Fight Club_ type of deal, we would win. Our team would beat a bunch of people up, and then be cool enough to never bring it up."

Lauren cackled at the joke, nodding in agreement. "Stone cold. But, nothing can scare me more than when I came out." A shiver went down her spine at the memory. "I was petrified. But, I put everything out there, and told my parents they could take it or leave it. Luckily for me, my parents are super understanding, and they accepted me. Sure, they were shocked at first, as most parents are, but I am so grateful to be around loving, open-minded people."

Adam appeared uncomfortable, his position shifting to accommodate to the feeling of nervousness that washed over him. "My family is super religious. I sort of hate it. They close off everything they view as different, and want to live in a black-and-white world, with no vibrancy or anything."

Lauren tipped her head, resting her hand on the male's shoulder. "Sorry, dude." She leaned back, idly pretending that she was strumming her guitar.

"Hey, Lauren?" Adam started, his voice softer in tone. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Part of Lauren knew what was going to happen next, but it wasn't her business to pry into the matter. "No penny required. What's up, Adam?"

"How did you know when to come out? Was it something you just decided, or did someone convince you?' Adam questioned, pulling his knees halfway to his chest. Lauren paused, smiling softly as she remembered back to the day she came out to her family. "I just woke up, and decided that my life would be better if I started becoming honest with myself and who I am. Boy, was I right."

Adam took her words in, his face burying within his knees. "Before this show, I read your story and I considered you to be such an inspiration, because you are so brashly unapologetic for being you, and I envy you for being able to do so. You are an icon for the LGBT youth, Lauren, and I admire you so much!" Adam chuckled, still in awe over the fact that he had managed to make friends with a pop star.

"I-I take solace in you coming out...Because I'm gay." Those three words caused monumental weights to be lifted from his shoulders, a physical sigh escaping him at the newfound tranquility he found. "I found out when I was 14, and I've never been able to come out to anyone, well except for you...And the viewers."

Lauren smiled, her face lighting up with pure, unadulterated pride at Adam's confession. "That was really brave of you, Adam, and I am honored to be the first person you came out to."

Adam relaxed, looking out to the sunset. "Also, I-I think I have a crush on someone on the island. But, he's on the opposite team-"

"It's Ricky." Lauren cut Adam off, smirking wickedly at him. "Hannah is right, she does smell out ships hella quick.'

Adam was about to speak to Lauren, possibly offer a witty comeback, when Chris' voice sounded over the intercom speakers. "Campers! The challenge is officially over! Meet back to the campfire in five minutes, time to announce who won!"

 **(FIVE MINUTES LATER: CAMPFIRE)**

"Might I say to all of you, that what I witnessed would make Katie and Sadie proud! Boy, we had warm moments, funny moments, and touching moments! But, the pair that brought it home for their team was," Chris paused for dramatic effect, his gaze scanning over each of the teens. "Johnathon and Hannah, because I know for a fact that Johnathon is going to start watching anime now because of his interactions with Hannah. The Killer Bass win!"

The Killer Bass cheered, all of them embracing their respective partner, except for Johnathon, who stood frozen with his hands on his hips. "I'll say, I will not begin to stream anime, as it is a commoner's activity. I have far too much to do, places to be, people to see-" He began to protest, when Hannah pushed him out of frame to follow the other Killer Bass.

"Screaming Gophers, you were formidable opponents, but someone has to go. See you back here soon!" Chris winked to the Screaming Gophers, who slunk off to their cabin.

 **(GOPHERS CABIN, BOY'S SIDE)**

Somehow, all of the Gopher team had squeezed in the boy's side, which was freshly cleaned thanks to Ricky and Larry's time together. "None of us deserve to go home after today." Ximena pointed out, angrily folding her arms over her chest. "This is so unfair!"

"I know, which is why I think it would be good for us to discuss who we should vote out, without lies or deceit, and do it right here." Ricky put his hand on his bunk, looking fixedly at his teammates. "...This is difficult."

Sarah fidgeted where she sat, listening as everyone began to talk over one another, trying to reason with one another. After a few moments of silence on her part, she spoke up. "Vote me off." The words caught everyone by alarm, especially Mariana, who guffawed at her in shock.

"I have everything I need in my life." Sarah began, her gaze swiveling so she could take all of them in. "My daughter, my fiance, and thanks to this place, friends. I wouldn't want to go out in any other way, beside knowing that I am doing so in a moment when I am truly content."

"A-Are you sure?" Larry asked Sarah, both enlightened and saddened by her sacrifice. Sarah beamed, rising to her feet. "Of course! I would not lie to you guys." She looked to Mariana, who had tears in her eyes. "You guys mean the world to me, and I would hate for you all to yell and pester each other while trying to say why someone deserves to go home, especially after today. We are more than a team now, we are a family, and no family deserves to go through something like that."

Elizabeth plastered herself to Sarah, holding her in a tight hug. "You are a hero, Sarah!"

Sarah hugged her back, shaking her head. "You guys are the heroes."

 **(CAMPFIRE CEREMONY)**

Chris stood at the front, holding a plate of 9 marshmallows. "Campers! There are 9 marshmallows on this plate, for the 9 of you that will move on in the competition. As for the camper that is voted off, they will walk the Dock of Shame, take a ride on the Boat of Losers, and never come back."

Chris plucked a marshmallow from his plate, holding it out. "The first camper that is safe is Mariana." Mariana solemnly rose to her feet, taking the marshmallow and staring down at it. "Elizabeth and Henry!" The duo stood beside Mariana, Elizabeth leaning her head against Mariana's arm. "Larry, Ximena, and Joshua." Chris noted the air of dreariness that surrounded the Screaming Gophers, but he didn't pry into it. He wasn't being paid to care for the teens.

"Graham and Cami." The pair followed behind Joshua, leaving Ricky and Mariana behind. "The last person to get a marshmallow is...Ricky!" Ricky snatched the marshmallow, standing beside Cami with a frown on his face. Sarah smiled, taking the moment to face her team. "Thank all of you for being so incredible. Now, go out there and kick some Bass ass!"

The team circled Sarah, holding her close in a group hug.

"Well, a touching end to a touching day. But, will these bonds last, or is it only temporary?" Chris faced the camera. "Find out next time on Total! Drama! Return!"


	11. The Gift That Keeps On Giving

_**here it is, another chapter! at this point, i have figured out who is going home in each episode, and who is going to win. bUT, i would love to hear from you guys! review and tell me who you think will win, plus your reason. ciao!**_

Chris appeared onscreen, tossing a baseball bat into a glove. "Previously on _Total Drama Return!"_ He began dramatically, shots from the previous episode busily occupying the screen.

"The campers were forced into their most difficult challenge yet; being nice to one another. They were funny, they were touching, but the interaction between Johnathon and Hannah amused me so much that the Killer Bass were declared the winners!

"In a turn of events, Sarah sacrificed herself to be voted off, and she valiantly walked the Dock of Shame."

Chris grinned, the skin beneath his eyes crinkling as he caught the ball in midair. "Who will take home the victory tonight? Who will walk the Dock of Shame? Will the Screaming Gophers kick their losing streak? Find out tonight on,

"TOTAL! DRAMA! RETURN!"

 **(OPENING INSTRUMENTAL OF THE THEME)**

It showed a sped up exterior of the island, just as the camp was being built atop of it, from day to night.

 **(DEAR MOM AND DAD I'M DOING FINE, YOU GUYS ARE ON MY MIND)**

The camera followed Chris as he walked across the dock, his face being dabbed with translucent powder by an anxious looking intern, while another held his Diet Coke, which he sipped with a cocky look on his face. As the powder accumulated in a cloud on his face, he sneezed, spitting the sticky, soda contents onto the poor intern that was serving him his drink.

 **(YOU ASKED ME WHAT I WANTED TO BE, AND NOW I THINK THE ANSWER IS PLAIN TO SEE)**

The camera zoomed in on the beach, where Graham was building a sandcastle, and Cami stepped across it, paying homage to the famous monster movie, 'Godzilla'. She laughed, and Graham rolled his eyes, face-palming in exasperation.

 **(I WANNA BE FAMOUS)**

The camera showed a shot of the center of the camp, with Jayden approaching Sara with a water gun, who was facing away from him. Suddenly, Sara sharply pivoted, revealing herself to be holding a water gun of her own, which she unleashed on Jayden with a maniacal cackle, chasing him off frame.

 **(I WANNA LIVE CLOSE TO THE SUN)**

Brittany sat outside of the Killer Bass cabin, wearing her white bikini, her figure being shaded by Danny, who was holding a large lead canopy over her, shaking his head in annoyance.

 **(SO PACK YOUR BAGS CAUSE I'VE ALREADY WON)**

The camera moved into the Killer Bass cabin on the boy's side, where Daniel laid snoozing on his bed, only to be awaken by Johnathon, who was trying to pick between two polo shirts, each of them slightly different hues of white. Daniel threw his pillow at Johnathon, causing Johnathon to scream.

 **(EVERYTHING TO PROVE, NOTHING IN MY WAY, I'LL GET THERE ONE DAY)**

The camera scooted to the stairs Gopher cabin, where Joshua and Sarah were doing impressions of celebrities, making Lawrence laugh, and then eventually fall backward.

 **(CAUSE I WANNA BE FAMOUS)**

The camera scooted inside of the dining hall, where Ricky and Adam were idly talking, Hannah watching eagerly from the side and nodding her head in approval. Chef watched, clearly fuming in anger as Mariana snuck into the kitchen, adding herbs and spices to whatever gruel he was cooking, prompting her to be chased out of the back door.

 **(NANANA'NANAANA NANA NANA)**

The camera zoomed out to reveal the theatre, where Rosa cheered over Lauren's performance, until she was pushed offstage by Ximena, a spotlight casting onto the female as she began to dramatically monologue, making Rosa cringe at the sight.

 **(I WANNA BE, I WANNA BE, I WANT TO BE FAMOUS!)**

The camera quickly moved into the forest, where Henry was swinging from the vines, Elizabeth latched onto his back, who was laughing hysterically. Henry released the vine, sending them both splashing into the water.

 **(I WANNA BE, I WANNA BE, I WANT TO BE FAMOUS)**

The water got onto Jerry, who was laying on the ground, making sand-angels, all while Nicole watched, maniacally moving her fingers against each other, a murderous grin on her face. Suddenly, Jerry tossed sand into the air, the sky changing from daytime to nighttime.

 **(WHISTLE)**

The camera moved to show Maeve standing in front of the campfire, Albhe desperately trying to woo Maeve. Just as he leaned forward to rest his arm upon her head like an armrest, Maeve stepped backward, causing Albhe to fall flat to the ground.

The camera zoomed out, revealing the campers surrounding the fiery inferno, the words 'Total Drama Return' appearing on the screen.

 **(START OF SHOW; EXTERIOR OF CABINS)**

4 AM was never pretty. It wasn't exactly sunrise, but it wasn't dark enough to be considered nighttime. 4 AM fell into a small gray area, and Chris loved nothing more than exploiting those gray areas for his own gain. So, there he was, 4 hours before the campers were required to be up, a full-scale marching band behind him, and Chris was right in the ranks, wearing a white and gold shako hat atop of his well-coiffed hair.

"One, and a two, and a," Chris whispered, raising his arms. The band members raised their instruments, inhaling a breath in unison, before expelling their breath in accordance to their instruments, the tune of 'Take Me Out to the Ballgame' starting to cut jauntily through the serene silence of the gray area that was 4 AM.

 **(GOPHER CABIN; BOY'S SIDE)**

The minute the crescendo of the tune blared into the camper's heads, Ricky shot from his bed, hitting his head on the bunk above him. "I hate this show!" He yelled, slamming his fist onto the opposite wall. Graham remained stagnant in his bed, placing his pillow over his head in hopes of muffling the sound. Joshua rose to his feet, his hair sticking out at all ends, his hand raising to wipe his eyes. "Nose goes as to who has to wake up Henry."

Each male raised their finger to their nose, Larry being the last one. The male rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Aw, dang it." He murmured, ambling to the opposite side of the cabin, where Henry was still soundly asleep, curled up in a way that resembled a dog. Larry nervously shook his wrists in front of him, hesitantly extending his hand to tap on Henry's shoulder. "Hey, Henry? Let's get started with the day."

Henry's eyes shot open, narrowing at Larry as he emitted a soft growl, Larry's eyes widening in response.

 **(GOPHER CABIN; GIRL'S SIDE)**

Larry's scream made Mariana jump as she looked over her shoulder, furrowing her brows in confusion. "I think that Larry woke Henry up." She hypothesized, glancing over to see Ximena with her hands over her ears. "Not a morning person?" Mariana guessed.

Ximena shook her head, remaining silent as she glowered at Cami and Elizabeth, who were both marching along with the tunes of the marching band. "How can you two be so peppy in the morning?"

"How many days do I get to wake up to a full-scale marching band outside?" Cami smiled, gesturing to the door, where she began to dance out. "This day is shaping up to be incredible, and it just started!"

 **(BASS CABIN; GIRL'S SIDE)**

"I swear to God, I am going to those dumb khaki shorts he wears, and stuff them so far down his throat!" Sara cracked her knuckles, heavy bags beneath her eyes. Lauren stretched her arms above her head, emitting a loud yawn as she glanced around the room, noticing an absence of frigidness in the air. "Where's Maeve?" She inquired, sitting on her bed and pulling on a pair of shoes.

"She probably is going on a run or something. She seems like the type of person to get up at the crack of dawn to do something normal people do at a regular hour." Brittany pulled her wavy locks into their classic ponytail, shrugging a sweatshirt over her sports bra so she wouldn't be going outside half-naked.

"Wrong, Maeve left at around 1 AM." Hannah informed the other girls in the cabin, starting to head to the door. "Who runs at 1 AM?"

 **(BASS CABIN; BOY'S SIDE)**

"These are peasant hours, McLean!" Johanthon feverishly protested as he exited the Bass Cabin, joining his team, who all appeared to be various shades of pissed off over the current situation. Chris let his gaze scan over the contestants, when he did a double-take to the Bass. "Where are Maeve and Albhe?"

As if on cue, the two moved from the boy's side Bass cabin, Albhe's shirt fitting over Maeve's curves like a dress, and a sheet wrapped around Albhe's waist. Elizabeth gasped, her eyes growing wide, as she slapped her hands over her eyes. "O-Oh my!"

Chris stifled his own laughter with his hand, letting himself take in the sight before him. "Dude, are you even wearing anything under that?"

Albhe rolled his eyes, tightening the sheet around his waist. "Want me to drop it so I can give you and your production team something fun to censor?" He threatened, his fingers loosening a bit. Chris rapidly shook his head, holding his hands out. "No! I hate working overtime."

Albhe smiled proudly, standing back and gesturing for Chris to continue. Chris adjusted his hat atop his head, bowing his head to the marching band. "Campers! It is early in the morning, and you will be participating in a challenge based around Tyler himself! After a devastating injury took him out of playing in sports, he began to become a financial manager for a baseball team. Needless to say, the guy became filthy rich, and he married Lindsay."

"Today, you are going to play baseball!" Chris exclaimed, Ricky and Henry exchanging excited glances at the prospect of doing something athletic for once.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Baseball? This challenge is right up my alley!" Ricky pumped his fist in the air. "I am going to help take the Gophers to victory."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Sara remained silent, blinking at the camera with a monotonous look on her face. "We're f******." She spoke, a loud 'bleep' silencing the second word that escaped her lips, though it was clear what she had said.

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

 **(MAKESHIFT BASEBALL FIELD- 7 AM)**

It wasn't much, but the staples of a baseball game were sprawled across the field, novelty 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and home plates placed delicately in the diamond position, and pitcher's mound in the middle. On the right of the field was a Bass flag and a bench, the opposite side holding a bench and Gopher flag, with the necessary supplies for a baseball game near both benches.

"Campers, the winner will be based on who has the most points after two halves." Chris shouted from his place beside Chef and a set of interns, who were all eating Cracker Jacks in preparation for the game. "Or whoever entertains me the most, who cares? Bass, you're batting first, Gophers, hit the field!"

 **(HALF ONE- GOPHERS FIELD, BASS BAT)**

Sara approached the plate, bat in hand, stepping to the side to take a few practice swings. She was a gymnast, not a baseball player, but she was a good swing. Cami was pitching for the Gophers, with Ricky on first, Graham on second, and Larry on third. Ximena was placed between third and second as the shortstop, and Joshua behind her on left field, Henry on center field, and Elizabeth on right field. Mariana was pitcher, given her lack of athleticism.

"Hiyah!" Cami howled as she threw the ball, winding up her arm in a windmill motion before letting it escape her hand, flying in the direction of home-plate. Relaxing her grip, Sara let herself swing in one fluid motion, the ball flying in the air in a classic pop-fly. "Elizabeth! Catch it!" Cami warned, waving her arms frantically as Sara began to dash to first base.

Elizabeth trembled in her spot, her glove hesitantly raising to the baseball that was heading for collision. Whether that collision was with her glove, or her face, was the unknown factor that scared her. Suddenly, she felt a set of hands on her waist, lifting her in the air and onto a set of shoulders. Looking down below her for a brief moment, she was met by the familiar sight of Henry's shaggy head of hair, which made her crack a small grin.

The ball sailed into her glove, much to Sara's discontent, who was only a few steps away from first base. "Crap." She grumbled, sauntering back to the Killer Bass. Elizabeth threw the ball back to Ricky, holding her fist out to Henry. "Good play!" She complemented, her grin widening as Henry fist-bumped her. "No thanks to you." He said in reply, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

Ricky whistled to the two as Jay approached the plate, waving his hand to them. "Hey, lovebirds, there's someone coming to bat. Please flirt later." Winking to them, Elizabeth blushed harshly, shyly waving as Henry walked back to his position, his face also a vague hue of pink.

"Alright, we have one out, two to go! Batter up!" Cami informed her team, having just learned all the nifty baseball lingo right before she was asked to be the pitcher. "Get ready for a world of pain Screaming Gophers, for I, Jay, will make you regret getting my lovely Sara out, for I will-"

"Strike one!" Mariana declaimed, tossing the ball back to Cami, which had slid past Jay during his rant. From the Bass side, Daniel laid down on the bench, stretching his arms over his eyes. "Damn it, Jay! Shut up and swing!" Sara protested, making Jay look over his shoulder and nod his head at her. "I will, woman! Just give me a few moments to get in the right minds-"

"Strike two!" Mariana couldn't help but to smile beneath her catcher's mask. "One more strike to go!"

"Jay! If you hit the ball, Sara will give you her bra." Daniel quipped, not even bothering to lift his hand from his face so he could observe the backlash of his comment. Brittany snorted, concealing her hand with her palm to stifle the sound of the laughter so Sara wouldn't target her, and Adam hit Daniel on the arm. "Do you have a deathwish!?" He whispered incredulously, fearfully stepping to the side as Sara stormed to Daniel, cracking her knuckles so she could have a good crack at him.

But, the crack that became a reality was the sound of Jay's bat colliding roughly with the baseball, sailing straight into left field. "Bras are a good incentive, because he just hit the ball." Maeve evenly pointed out from her spot beside between Albhe and Lauren, her empty gaze following its tracks; from the ground just beside Joshua, to first base, where Jay had already run to before crossing the second, and then third.

As Jay slid into home-plate, Chris blew his whistle, raising his hand as Chef added one point to the Bass side. "The Bass lead, one to zero!" Jay strutted back to the Bass bench, nonchalantly dusting the dust from his shoulders as he slid beside Sara, who was frozen with a sour, displeased look on her face. "I expect that bra to be paid in full by the end of the challenge."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Daniel sniggered, shaking his head in disbelief. "I honestly just said that bullshit to get a rise out of Sara, didn't expect it to actually work."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Hey, bras are fun. But, I'm better at taking them off." Lauren winked to the camera, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

Hannah was the next to bat, as the Killer Bass figured it would be best to just get her out of the way. By far, she was the most unathletic person on the team. It was unclear to even Chris how she had managed to make it this far into the game, but there she was, missing every single swing.

"You swing like a girl, Hannah!" Graham taunted from second base, earning him a sharp gasp from Hannah. "Excuse me?! I do not appreciate such sexist microaggressions! I will not stand idly by as the female gender is slandered by a cisgendered, heterosexual-"

"Strike three! Two outs for the Killer Bass, one to go." Chris interrupted, an uproar sounding from the Bass side as Hannah sauntered back, sticking her tongue out at her team.

Ximena cackled, rolling her eyes and glancing to Joshua as Lauren approached the plate with her bat. "They are so bad that they have to ask the pop star to swing for them!" She insulted, though Joshua just rolled her eyes.

Brittany exhaled sharply, folding her arms over her chest. "She is so annoying." She mumbled, Johnathon clapping his hand on her shoulder. "My father has a saying." He cleared his throat, looking off to where Lauren was practicing her swing. "If you must talk about someone, do it after three glasses of wine, so they will laugh at themselves." He repeated, looking around the bench. "I do not see any wine here, so Ximena is just being a bitch."

"Strike three! Time for us to bat!" Larry exclaimed excitedly, the Gophers running forward to their benches, and the Killer Bass sliding on their gloves.

"How will the Screaming Gophers fare at batting? Will the Killer Bass find their mojo? Don't go away, we'll be right back!" Chris segued into the commercial break.

 **(COMMERCIAL BREAK)**

Henry stood at home plate, his formation clear of his professionalism within sports. He was perfectly aligned, with a balanced equilibrium that was exuded through his stance, and his even stare.

For the Killer Bass, Sara was pitching, with Hannah as the catcher, and Maeve as first, Daniel as second, and Lauren as third. Jay was the shortstop, with Brittany as the right field, Adam as the center field, and Albhe as the left field. Johnathon, due to him being the extra player on the team, stood between Adam and Brittany.

"Alright, guys! This is going to be big, so at least TRY to appear like this guy isn't going to instantly get a home-run." Daniel drawled, part of him considering laying down right where he was. This was vital naptime he was missing, after all. "Be positive, Daniel! You never know what could happen!" Adam optimistically retorted, just as the ball sailed directly over his head and into the tree-line behind him.

Looking over his shoulder, Adam noticed where the ball had gone, a sigh escaping him. "I stand corrected." He mumbled, defeated. Henry crossed into home-plate, approaching the Gophers bench and high-fiving Elizabeth with two hands, and then knuckle bumping her with an explosion, followed by their hands coming together to create a figure of a bird of what appeared to be an elaborate handshake.

"The Gophers and Bass are now tied one to one! Here comes Larry to bat now!" Chris narrated, Larry hesitantly approaching home plate and tapping it with his bat. Getting into his stance, Sara raised the ball above her head. "Come on, Larry, show these losers how to hit a ball!" Ximena taunted, her hands resting on her hips.

"I love playful banter as much as the next guy, Ximena, but that's just mean. Be careful, Sara has a good eye and won't be afraid to hit you." Joshua forewarned, a shiver going down his spine at the glare she gave them.

Throwing the ball, Larry cracked his bat against it, running forward at the cheers of his teammates. These seemed to motivate him more, as he ran faster, crossing first and heading to second, with a large grin on his face. Suddenly, his foot collided with his opposite foot shoelace, the pressure causing his feet to slip from beneath him. Falling forward, he crunched his right arm into his stomach, the other one try to catching him as he fell. Landing on his left arm, he cried out in pain, turning over on his back.

Chris blew the whistle, Mariana rushing onto the field, followed by Elizabeth. "I think he broke his arm!" Mariana told Chris, delicately helping Larry to his feet, the male cradling his arm to his chest as he tried not to cry out. Elizabeth rubbed his back, starting to walk him to Chef. "I-Is there an infirmary? I will w-walk him there!" Elizabeth offered, Chef approaching Larry and Elizabeth as he guided the two.

"So...Do we like take a knee….?" Albhe drawled, Chris blowing his whistle to cut off any commotion. "One out for the Screaming Gophers, and two to go!"

Cami was the next to bat for the Screaming Gophers. "Approaching the plate now is the incredible Cami Ruth! Look at her form!" She performed a practice swing, narrowing her eyes as the ball sailed to her. "And now, the swing!" The ball hit the bat, sailing between second and third. "I have got this!" Jay yelled, catching the ball as it slid on the ground and throwing it to first. Maeve caught it, but Cami was already on the plate.

Ricky approached the plate, the campers on the Bass team immediately backing up in preparation for his swing. "Be on high alert, Killer Bass!" Lauren mentioned, clapping her palm against the glove.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Well, I think it's time to prepare who's going home for the Killer Bass, because I SERIOUSLY doubt that we are going to win." Lauren admitted with a shrug of her shoulders.

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

Sara tossed the ball to Ricky, the ball flying in the air directly to, who else, but Adam. Gaping up at the spherical object as it closed in on him, he immediately backed away, allowing it to hit the ground. "Commoner! Get him out!" Johnathon cried, waving his arms in the air.

Cami crossed into home plate, Ricky running to second. "I got this!" Adam picked up the ball in his glove, darting forward and standing in front of second base, his glove colliding with Ricky's chest. Ricky looked down at Adam, his brows raising impressively at Adam's play.

"Well-played." Ricky complemented, winking to Adam as he backed away, Chris blowing his whistle from the sidelines again. "Two outs for the Screaming Gophers, and the score is now 2-1!" Chris sipped his drink, spitting it to the ground. "I asked for a _diet_ soda, and I can feel my face breaking out over this _regular_ soda." He shoved it back into the hands of the intern who gave it to him, huffing in annoyance.

Graham walked to the plate, looking down at his feet as he approached the plate. "Just go ahead and throw them, I'm not gonna hit them." Graham stood back, gesturing for Sara to throw the ball. She threw one, Hannah catching it. "Strike one!"

"Hey, you want to be voted off, you freak!?" Ximena threatened, Cami narrowing her eyes at her. "Don't talk to him like that, Ximena."

"Strike two!" Hannah called out, glancing to the side at the Gophers side. "Make this quick, I think a female fight is going to break out!"

"Got it!" Sara threw the ball to home plate, Graham walking back to the Gophers side, throwing the bat down along the way. "Strike three! Switch out!" Sara informed her team, heading back to the Bass side.

As Ximena walked to shortstop, Joshua followed alongside her, tapping her arm. "Hey, Ximena. Lay off a little, okay? There's a difference between being playful and being crude, and you're on the crude side. Don't get a target on your back for something as trivial as this." He advised, jogging to third. "Just looking out for you!"

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I have always been competitive. I do not stand for second place. I am better than second place." Ximena lamented, sticking her chin into the air.

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

Daniel approached the plate for the Killer Bass, lazily trying to imitate the position he saw Ricky and Henry take. Brittany clapped her hands, cheering to him. "Come on, Daniel! You've got this!"

"Oh, listen to this. How cute. A fake blonde supports an even faker guy." Ximena pouted her lower lip. "It's adorable, really."

"Maybe someone should stop her before she gets hit." Henry suggested, shrugging his shoulders. "Or not, natural selection will catch up to her eventually." The comment made Elizabeth giggle, her hand gingerly slapping his bicep.

Eventually, Daniel struck out, walking back to the Bass side. "Doll, it's your time to shine." Daniel held the bat out to her, her eyebrows raising in distaste at the gesture. "Anything involving manual labor, besides cheerleading and hot yoga, makes me want to vomit." Brittany beseeched, looking into Daniel's eyes as he gazed amusedly at her, forcing her hands open and shoving the bat into it.

"Maybe if you're lucky, you'll hit Ximena." He whispered, stepping back into the Bass bench. Brittany stared down at the bat, tossing it between her hands before gripping it and walking forward. Now that Larry was gone, Ximena juggled both third and shortstop, her eyes widening with glee as Brittany took the plate.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I am going to make her regret ever making fun of my team." Brittany smirked wickedly, winking to the camera. "I played softball for 6 years before giving it up, so I know _exactly_ where to hit it."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

When Brittany approached the plate, silence fell over the crowd, Chris leaning forward in his seat. The moment Cami allowed the ball to escape her grip and sail to home, Brittany exhaled a soft stream of carbon dioxide, allowing her back foot to pivot as the ball collided with her bat, sailing right between second and third, and right into Ximena's face.

The female fell back, the ball moving away from Ximena and to Graham, who picked it up and threw it to Ricky, who caught it to get Brittany out by tapping first. But, Brittany didn't seem to care, as she simply dropped the bat, making her way back to the Bass. "Got anything to say, princesa?" Brittany held her hand over her ear, relishing in Ximena rising to her feet, her hand over her nose to conceal the fact that it was gushing blood.

Maeve stared level-headedly to Brittany, but turned, discreetly holding a hand out to Brittany. The blonde shook it with a grin, watching Ximena be escorted off the field by Chef.

"Two outs for the Killer Bass, and the Screaming Gophers just lost yet ANOTHER player!" Chris laughed, taking a sip of his soda with glee. "You can't write teenage drama, you just have to let it happen!"

"I will volunteer for the Killer Bass by batting. Don't worry, I saw High School Musical 2, I know that the movie had an entire number dedicated to playing baseball." Albhe grabbed the bat, skipping forward and humming the tune of 'I Don't Dance' as he swung at each ball thrown to him, and missed each time.

"Switch out! If the Gophers score in this round, then they will win!" Chris imparted on the Killer Bass as they jogged to the field, appearing less than enthusiastic. Clearly, the American pastime of baseball had been less than favorable to these fishies, but even more so to the Gophers, who had lost two players due to injury.

"Ricky and Henry have already batted, so they can't go again. Joshua, Elizabeth, and I are left. We aren't the strongest of athletes, so I am not sure what we should do." Mariana tapped her chin, hoping to strategize with the remainder of her team.

"Okay, I have an idea." Henry spoke, his team's heads pivoting to look hopefully to him. "Chris never spoke of there not being any bunting allowed. If Elizabeth and Mariana just delicately tap the ball, one of them can at least get to second. Then, Joshua can bring it on home."

"That's actually a rad idea, nature boy." Ricky high-fived Henry, extending his arms to the nervous trio of batters. "I think it's reasonable, too! You guys can do it."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Elizabeth elicited a nervous sigh, rubbing the back of her head. "I-I am good with water, not land. There is something about water that relaxes me. I-I just want to pull this off for the Screaming Gophers!"

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"So far, I have taken a backseat role when it comes to my team. I'm a maternal figure to everyone, but I think it is about time that I do something active instead of passive for once." Mariana agreed, nodding her head with a look of placid determination in her eye.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Heck yeah! I've got this! Go Gophers!" Joshua cheered, raising his arms in the air.

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAMS)**

Elizabeth was the first one to approach the plate with her bat, her confidence only growing at the cheers of her team. She cracked a small smile, raising her bat to the air, bracing for impact. When the ball came to her, she delicately patted it with the bat, dropping it and dashing to first, just as Hannah picked it up and threw it to Sara.

"Ref! Is bunting permitted?!" Sara protested, Chris shrugging his shoulders in a bored manner. "Yeah, why not?"

"Asshole." Sara spat, her gaze following Mariana as she approached the plate. Gathering her composure, Sara pitched the ball to Mariana, appearing less than excited as Mariana imitated Elizabeth's strategy, just barely hitting the ball, before darting to first, allowing Elizabeth to cross to second.

"Alright, bases are almost loaded! There are two people, so that qualifies as being more than one. Go sports!" Albhe babbled to his team, raising his gloved hand in the air.

Joshua ambled to the plate, his lips moving rapidly as he spoke to himself. "I've got this, I've got this. A swell guy will make a swell play. It's nature."

Sara rolled her eyes, pitching the ball to Joshua, a slight curve to it. Joshua's eyes widened, his bat swinging to protect himself from the curve, which collided harshly with the ball. The ball sailed into the outfield, between Brittany and Adam.

"Ah! The ball!" Adam declaimed, running to get it. Joshua darted to first, and sprinted to second. Elizabeth jumped onto the home plate, waiting eagerly for Mariana, who crossed behind her. The ball moved from Adam, to Lauren, who threw it to Hannah, in hopes of her stopping Joshua. But, it was to no avail. Joshua slid into home, shooting to his feet and jumping up and down.

"The Screaming Gophers break their losing streak and take this one home!" Chris announced, the remaining Gophers storming the field and dancing with their team. "Your reward will be a classic sports cook-out for dinner tonight!"

"As for the Killer Bass, decide who you are kicking off, and meet me by the Closing Campfire!"

 **(BASS CABIN; BOY'S SIDE)**

"Let's kick off Hannah. What does she even do for this team besides say big words and yell?" Johnathon pointed out, disgustedly kicking away his sweat-stained and dirt covered shirt from the baseball challenge. "The big words quota is already filled by Maeve, and Sara does the yelling."

"Speaking of big words, when did you and Maeve start happening, Albhe?" Adam inquired, gingerly bumping his elbow into Albhe's side. Albhe chuckled, moving his fingers through his hair. "After Lauren slapped Maeve. We've been hanging out since then."

"Just hanging out? No exclusive label?" Adam pried, making Albhe turn his back with a huff.

"Relax, bud, he's just not used to feeling all lovey-dovey." Lauren suddenly spoke from the entrance of the boy's side, joined with all of the other girls from the Killer Bass, with Hannah absent from the fray.

"Hey, we're indecent!" Jay raised his hands to cover his chest, as if he were a female covering her chest from the naked eye. This earned a slap of the back of the head from Sara, who dropped a lacy, black bra on top his head. "The strap broke on this one, and I always uphold my promises. Just don't speak of this."

Jay jumped up and down, hugging the bra as if he just received the prize right then and there. Brittany sat next to Daniel, folding one leg over the other. "We were just saying that Hannah needs to go. She doesn't offer anything to this team besides headaches, and I only have so much Advil."

Maeve nodded her head in agreement, sitting down next to Albhe, who hugged her from behind and rested his chin atop her head. "It is strategically a good move for our team. We will not only be stronger physically, but we will have less incidents with her outbursts."

Albhe chuckled, rocking her from side to side. "I like it when you talk strategy."

"So, it's settled! Hannah is being voted off!" Adam put his hand in, the others following suit. "To unison backstabbing!"

"Unison backstabbing!" The rest of the tribe repeated.

 **(CAMPFIRE CEREMONY)**

"Killer Bass! Welcome back to the campfire. It's been a while, but winning streaks are always broken! Maybe, if you listen close, you will be able to hear the sound of burgers on the grill and laughing from the Gophers." Chris jeered at the Killer Bass, holding the plate with nine marshmallows in his hand.

"No, but I hear a middle-aged man trying to appeal to a young audience by wearing shorts." Daniel countered, resting stretching out on two stumps. "Just get on with it."

"Alright, alright! Sheesh." Chris rolled his eyes. "The person sent home will walk the Dock of Shame, board the Boat of Losers, and never come back- Ever! The first person I am going to call is Albhe."

Albhe pumped his fist in the air, jogging to Chris and taking his marshmallow. "Jay and Sara!" The two snatched their marshmallows, Jay waggling his brows at Sara. "Stop that." Sara snarled, shoving her marshmallow into his mouth to silence him.

"Lauren, Daniel, Maeve, Adam, and Johnathon." One by one, they claimed their respective marshmallows, leaving Brittany and Hannah behind. "Only one of you can stay. Hannah, your outbursts have annoyed more than one, and Brittany, you hit Ximena's face, which I gotta say was wick-ed, dude!"

Brittany's posture straightened with pride. "Being mean is a gift that keeps giving."

"Well, you give me a joy by being here, so here you go!" Chris tossed the last marshmallow to the blonde, who skipped to her team. Hannah shot to her feet, pointing a finger in hot-tempered protest. "This is a target against my character! I will have this sue showed, and I will rant about each one of you on my blogs! But, do not think this will effect my fanfiction, for I will allow this contamination of the out-of-character capacity sway my in-character writing."

Chris snapped his fingers, Chef appearing from the sidelines. Each male took an arm, dragging Hannah off, who was kicking and screaming about something related to the patriarchy of the United States.

"A fitting goodbye for her; screaming about something totally unrelated to what we were even talking about." Lauren took a bite out of her marshmallow, stretching her hands above her head. "Alright, Killer Bass, let's get to bed."

"Now, now, I had another idea. Work with me here, I think it's a good one." Daniel looked from left to right, his gaze settling on Albhe. "Hey, Albhe, how good are you at singing?"

 **(THE BEACH)**

The Gophers happily talked amongst each other, eating burgers and hotdogs faster than they were being grilled. Even Ximena, with medical tape across her bruised nose, and Larry, who was wearing a cast, appeared to be having a good time.

"To the Gophers!" Henry raised his burger in the air in some form of makeshift food toast, the others following his lead.

However, before they could get very far in their comradery moment, Albhe burst from the bushes, completely in the nude, wearing nothing but a baseball cap. The censored blurred out necessary parts, even as Albhe danced from side to side. "Take, me out to the ballgame! Take, me out to the crowd!" He sang, the sight alone causing Elizabeth to scream.

The Killer Bass ducked down in the bushes, keeping themselves for laughing. "I can't believe he did that for a chocolate bar!" Jay gasped in disbelief, looking over his shoulder to see Albhe being chased off by Henry and Ricky.

Maeve rubbed her temples, shaking her head. "He will do anything for food."

Albhe appeared beside Maeve, inhaling and exhaling raggedly. "I escaped!"

The bushes suddenly parted from above them, revealing a very angry looking Ricky and Henry. Albhe's eyes widened, Jay scrambling to his feet. "Scram, Bass!"

The other members of the Killer Bass ran from their own bushes, back into their cabins, the camera panning up to show the night sky, decorated with stars.


	12. Update Time!

_**hey, guys! long time no see, right?**_

 _ **to put it simply, no, i am not abandoning the story. i have just had a major loss of inspiration over the past few months, and i have been kept plenty busy due to school so i do not really have time to update. i am currently writing up the next chapter, and i hope to get it out soon. i am so sorry for keeping y'all waiting. don't abandon hope yet!**_

 _ **here's a sneak preview of what's to come!**_

A clap of thunder vibrated the ground below them, a flash of lightning temporarily brightening the room a vibrant, almost blue-ish hue. All of the sudden, a red paintball splattered against the window. Ximena, who had been standing beside the window, lept backwards, a hand moving to her chest. "Ay!" She exclaimed out of fright. Elizabeth sighed reluctantly, turning to the door. "I-I think that is our cue. It's challenge time!" She spoke with lackluster enthusiasm, her hand moving to grip the doorknob.

"Wait, take my jacket. I don't mind rain." Henry shrugged the jacket off his shoulders, holding it out to Elizabeth. The smaller female grinned, putting it over her significantly smaller frame, the dress extending to her thighs. "Thanks, Henry." She rubbed his arm, and with a warm grin, she headed outside.


	13. So Long, Farewell (UPDATE)

_**hello, everyone! if you are reading this, it means that i have decided to discontinue TDR. i wish it wouldn't have gotten into this place, but i am moving on from the point of my life i was in when i started this fic. i got into my dream college. i have made so many new friends. i have amazing grades. i was in my last two high school shows.**_

 _ **i want to thank all of you avid readers and reviewers. your kind words really meant the world to me. i appreciate having written for all of your original characters, and i would not trade this experience for the world. who knows? maybe i will be back one day ;). this experience has bettered me as writer and creator. i will be submitting applications to SYOC if i can.**_

 _ **here is the elimination order, as well as the challenge order:**_

Ezekial- Family tried rehabilitating him, but much like an animal, they figured he would be happier in the wild. He lives happily on Boney Island.

Challenge- OG Challenge; the cliff jump, and then they have to corral a wild animal.

WINNER- Screaming Gophers

ELIMINATED- Nicole

Eva- Went on to enter a body-building competition, and use social media as an outlet to become a figure for females at the gym, and lives in San Francisco with her partner.

Challenge- Ring hung on a pole, teams must get ring to their side and touch the pole, while the other team tries to stop them.

WINNER- Killer Bass

ELIMINATED- Rosa

Noah- Invented a dating app that requires people to use their IQ to gain entrance, an app for smart people, called 'IQpid". Currently engaged to Emma.

Challenge- Endurance and temptation challenge.

WINNER- Screaming Gophers

ELIMINATED- Danny

Justin- Went on to model for many successful labels, until he had a public meltdown last year, resulting in him falling from the public's graces.

Challenge- Choose a random member from each team, and have their fellow teammates make them an ultimate celebrity.

WINNER- Killer Bass

ELIMINATED- Jerry

Katie and Sadie- The two best friends went on to attend the same college, have the same major, and get the same job at a firm, as well as marrying a set of twins. They are having a joint wedding.

Challenge- Pair the teammates up, and if one team has less players than the other, make a player have a surprise re-entrance into the show. Have them compete activities that will make them be friendly with one another.

WINNER- Killer Bass

ELIMINATED- Sarah

Tyler- After a devastating injury put him out of sports forever, he became a financial backer for several sports teams in the States, and ended up marrying Lindsay.

Challenge- Good old game of baseball

WINNER- Screaming Gophers

ELIMINATED- Hannah

Izzy- Went on to join a circus, where she created a name for herself in trapeze art. Though Owen continuously tries to court her, she won't get married to him.

Challenge- Paintball War

NO TEAM WINS, DOUBLE ELIMINATION

ELIMINATED- Larry and Jay

Cody- Became a champion of billiards, and married Sierra, who is currently pregnant with twins.

Challenge- LARPing

WINNER- Killer Bass

ELIMINATED- Joshua

Beth- Became a motivational speaker, marrying Brody immediately after the competition, and a bestselling author.

Challenge- Assigned Talent Show

WINNER- Screaming Gophers

ELIMINATED- Johnathon

Courtney- Went on to successfully enter law school and bail Duncan out of prison, where Courtney got pregnant and they eloped.

Challenge- MURDER MYSTERY

WINNER- Killer Bass

ELIMINATED- Ximena

Harold- Went on to become a successful music producer, working alongside his fiancee, Leshawna, to crank out successful, underground recording artists.

Challenge- Lip-Sync Battle

WINNER- Killer Bass

ELIMINATED- Mariana

Eva- see above.

Challenge- Break up, teams have to row and retrieve key from water and then other half has to solve a puzzle.

WINNER- Screaming Gophers

ELIMINATED- Lauren

Trent- Under Harold's recording studio, he became a hit recording artist in the Indie genre.

Challenge- A classic scavenger hunt.

DOUBLE ELIMINATION

ELIMINATED- Albhe and Ricky

MERGE MERGE MERGE MERGE MERGE MERGE MERGE MERGE MERGE MERGE MERGE MERGE

Bridgette- Went on to become a pro-surfer, marrying Geoff at 18 years old, and opting not to have kids, but to have a lot of dogs.

Challenge- Answer questions about contestants. People who get the group consensus get to decide who, out of those who didn't get it right, are out of the competition.

WINNER- Cami

ELIMINATED- Elizabeth

Lindsay- Became a successful fashion designer, still managing to keep in touch with Beth, and marrying Tyler.

Challenge- Design a killer outfit based around a theme, and model it on the runway.

WINNER- Brittany

ELIMINATED- Henry

DJ- Went on to become a staple name for the 'Food Network', using all of his mama's recipes.

Challenge- Cooking competition.

WINNER- Maeve

ELIMINATED- Cami

Izzy- See above.

Challenge- Make the campers balance on pedestals, if they drop, they are out of the running.

WINNER- Adam

ELIMINATED- Sara

Leshawna- Works alongside Harold to help crank out underground artists at a breakneck pace.

Challenge- Make the losers vote off the next person.

ELIMINATED- Brittany

Duncan- Wished to make a better life for himself, and so after being released from prison, he entered the armed forces.

Challenge- Make them pull pranks on one another.

WINNER- Daniel

ELIMINATED- Adam

Heather- Became a successful Hollywood agent, representing the worst they have to offer, but making them look like stars.

Challenge- Fear Factor

WINNER- Maeve

ELIMINATED- Graham

Owen and Gwen- Panel of losers actually votes who the winner is.

FINAL TWO- Maeve and Daniel

WINNER- Daniel

 _ **here is a list of canon couples:**_

henry x elizabeth

cami x graham

maeve x albhe

adam x ricky

brittany x daniel

 _ **and, here is an epilogue to the story that wraps everything up.**_

 _ **thank you for joining me on this adventure.**_

 **(BEACH OF CAMP WAWANAKWA)**

It took a lot of convincing to get the campers back onto the campsite where they had spent their time competing on _Total Drama Return,_ but Daniel always considered himself persuasive. It also helped that he promised free food, which was surprisingly more of an incentive than he thought.

So, there they were. All 24 teens back on the island, just like it was the first day, which was almost three months ago. It was like they had never left. Cami and Graham were playing some weird game of leapfrog against Elizabeth and Henry, while Danny strummed his guitar around the bonfire.

"Ladies and gentleman!" Daniel raised his red solo cup in the air, gazing at the people around him. "I bet you are wondering why you are all here today."

"Yeah, this is sort of cryptic. Are you planning on killing us, Daniel?" Joshua spoke up, waggling his fingers and changing his voice to mimic Rod Serling. Mariana reached over, gingerly slapping his arm. "Don't interrupt, you dingus."

"Thank you, Mama Mariana." Daniel chuckled, gesturing the camp behind him, the lights in the cabins dimmed, and the fire at the campfire ceremony extinguished. There were always lights on when he was around. It was weird seeing the place look so barren. "Months ago, we came to this place wanting money, fame, friends, who knows? But, we all left with something that we didn't have before."

He gestured over Adam, who had his arms around Ricky. "A sense of identity." Daniel spoke, looking to Sarah and Elizabeth. "Friends who will last forever, all of that sappy crap." He then looked to Brittany, smiling widely. "Someone to share your secrets with."

"Which brings me to my next point!" Daniel looked to the cliff. "Brittany told me during Katie and Sadie's challenge that she had never seen fireworks. I was shocked. This chick had been around the world, but had never seen fireworks. She intrigued me. In a way, she ignited fireworks within me."

"Oh, boo!" Albhe laughed, tucking his arm over Maeve's shoulders. "That was some cheesy romance, Nicholas Sparks!"

Johnathon shushed Albhe, rolling his eyes. "Jesus, Albhe. In the two months since the show's ended, I figured you would have grown up a bit."

All of the sudden, a bright burst of pink filled the sky, originating from the cliff where they had begun their first challenge. Each head swiveled toward the source, Brittany's eyes widening in wonder as she gasped, a hand moving to her mouth. "Fireworks, Daniel? For me?" She smiled, approaching him and holding his hand.

Daniel nodded his head, leaning in and pressing a kiss to her temple. "Yeah. I managed to get Chef to set them off. So, we owe him a thanks."

The camera moved around to each face as they watched the fireworks show, but then settled on Nicole. Her voice filled the shot as she suspiciously moved to stand beside Jerry, chuckling maliciously.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I must admit, I am angry about being eliminated first. But, I killed a massive animal, so I believe that I am the true winner here. Don't fret, McLean, I will be back!" She laughed manically, the sound soon fading away.

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

The camera then moved over to Rosa, who was standing in the middle of Sarah and Mariana. She was beaming widely at the camera, leaning her head on Mariana's arm.

 **(** **CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I-I do not regret my time here. If I was meant to spend more time here, I-I would have. I did go out in a harsh manner, but I could never be angry at the situation." Rosa smiled gently, shrugging her shoulders. "I-If I wouldn't have come here, I would not have met some amazing people."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

The next shot was of Danny, whose guitar was slung over his back. He stood with Adam and Lauren, the original trio.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Danny cleared his throat, looking from right to left. "I re-watched the season with my Pa. I figured he would be disappointed that I was eliminated so early. He told me that I had to get out there and show how real Southern men did it." His smile became distant, a chuckle ringing through him. "Even though I was betrayed, he turned to me and told me that he was proud of me. Yeah, I did what I came here for. My dad was proud of his son, Mr. 22nd place."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"You know, the earliest documentation of fireworks goes back to 7th century China." Jerry spoke, removing his glasses to clean them. It wasn't exactly clear who he was even speaking to, but he continued to ramble about the history of fireworks as he stared blankly at the display.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I personally believe I was robbed. I should have been here longer, and my fellow campers are fools for not recognizing my abilities." Jerry folded his arms over his chest. "That is all."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I took my daughter to see a fireworks show recently. She loved it, said that she wanted to go up to the sky one day. It looks like I am raising an astronaut." Sarah murmured to Mariana and Rosa with a gleeful giggle.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Sarah pushed up her glasses, trying to remain poised. "My time here? It was defined by ill-fitting challenges, selfish people, and a fool of a host." She then paused, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "But, I met two amazing girls that have truly changed my life. Rosa and Mariana have become part of my life. They've met my family. In a way, they've also become as much of my family."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Hannah pointed her phone to the fireworks display. "I am displaying the inner facets of the campers behind the camera to my Periscope viewers!" She whispered avidly to Sara, who was glaring at her. "I have transitioned beyond just a platform of Tumblr."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Thanks to the show, I have the number one blog for Total Drama fanfiction on Tumblr. I am an icon within the community, so much so that the producers have offered me a job within the social media aspect of Total Drama." Hannah clapped her hands together. "I get to relentlessly monitor for hateful comments! This is a match made in heaven!"

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL)**

Larry and Jay stood next to each other, bumping shoulders idly. "Stop pushing, Lawrence. You are disrupting the view." Jay snarled beneath his breath, Larry following his line of sight to see him staring at Sara. "Still?!" Larry gasped, exasperated. "Give it up!"

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I believe that I was eliminated too early." Jay interjected, just as Larry was opening his mouth to speak. When Larry thought he was done, he moved to speak again, only to be interrupted once more. "I know Sara is fond of me. She just eliminated me because it was a strategic move. She really is a vexing one-" Larry slapped his hand over his brother's mouth. "I loved my time here. I sort of figured I would be eliminated, given that I broke my arm, but I am super glad I came. Even though I had to share the time with my brother."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Joshua was next, his arms folded over his chest. He ambled over to stand beside Ximena, who looked to him from her right. "You played a good game, Ximena." He complimented, smirking coyly at her. "Since the episodes aired, I know you were the one who set me up to get eliminated."

Ximena turned to the male, hanging her head in shame. "I am sorry, Joshua. It was very evil of me."

Joshua rolled his eyes, taking her face and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You have always been overdramatic. You played a game, and you played it well. I don't care what the fansites say, I think you are a great player."

Ximena smiled sheepishly, kicking her foot through the sand. "Care to talk about how great I am over dinner?"

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Dang, this game really is savage!" Joshua laughed, moving his fingers through his locks. "Yeah, Ximena totally twisted my words, but I really don't mind. This is a game where people will do anything to win. Maybe I didn't play hard enough, I don't know." He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "But what about a season 2? Fans V.S. Favorites? The fansites love me! This is some juicy stuff right here!"

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"This is commoner's sport! You should all spend some time on my father's yacht on the Greek Isles, that is what I call a view." Johnathon hollered, Brittany swatting his arm. "Shush, Johnathon. This is for me. Can't you deal with this poor person display for me?" She batted her eyelashes at him.

Johnathon huffed, rolling his eyes. "Only for you, dear Brittany."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I can tell you each thing I hated about the people I surrounded myself with during my time on this ridiculous show." Johnathon snapped in a pompous manner. "It is not like I needed the money. I have more money than these jerks combined!" He stopped himself while he was ahead. "But, I have made a friend out of Brittany. I enjoyed glowering at the commoners with her."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Ximena leaned her head against Joshua's arm, emitting a tranquil exhale. "The only reason I was able to come is because I was not filming. Ay, I am so busy all of the time. It is so hard to be a television star. This show boosted the ratings on my telenovela, though!"

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Ximena scrolled through her phone, clearing her throat to recite some of the comments. "How dare you get Joshua eliminated, you evil incarnate." She looked to the camera, raising a brow. "I know I played this game dirty. I allowed my ego to get the better of me! But, once I was eliminated, I took time to volunteer and better myself." She smoothed out the skirt of her dress, smiling proudly. "I got a new movie deal because of the show. It's like the Spanish _Mean Girls."_ She nodded her head thoughtfully. "I can play mean. I'm an incredible actress." She winked at the camera, chuckling playfully.

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Mariana flinched as an orb of red exploded across the sky, her eyes widening briefly. "Jeez Louise. The colors are beautiful, but these are just so loud! Someone could bust an eardrum." She covered her ears, hiding behind Sarah.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"People actually call me Mama Mariana. It's sort of adorable." Mariana snickered, drumming her fingers on her legs. "I was myself this entire competition. It was hard, but I am super happy that I was able to maintain that. Man, was it hard at times. But, I gave my daughter two new godmothers. I bet you can't guess who they are."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Lauren was now strumming the tune of 'Stairway to Heaven' on Danny's guitar, rocking from side to side. She didn't speak, rather she just looked down at her feet.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)  
** "I took a break from my tour to be here today. Yeah, this show really boosted my popularity. My goal coming in was to not be eliminated first, and I achieved that. I got to show some of my music on the show, I slapped a girl. That video went viral." Lauren cringed, shaking her head. "My point is, I came in, and kicked some ass. A good day's work for Lauren."

 **(** **END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Somehow, Ricky and Albhe had untangled themselves from their significant others, and were playing a round of beach soccer. "This is a rematch! I will school you one day, David Beckham!" Albhe pointed intently to Ricky, a playful grin plastered on his handsome features.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Yeah, Albhe and I were eliminated together. Double elimination, both teams lost." Ricky shrugged his shoulders, looking at the male beside him. "Right before the merge too. It sort of sucked. But hey, I managed to snag a pretty cute guy." Ricky nudged Albhe, dropping his voice a level in volume. "And you hooked up with Maeve on the Killer Bass table." The words made Albhe's eyes go wide. "Bloody hell, mate! I told you that in secret!" Albhe turned to look at the camera, winking slyly at it. "But I totally did. Sorry, babe!" He apologized, seemingly addressing Maeve. "If I can't win the money, I might as well earn the notoriety that comes with public intercourse." He slapped his palm against Ricky's in a joking high-five.

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Elizabeth sat upon Henry's shoulders, her fingers moving through his hair as she watched the fireworks in awe, occasionally gasping or making other adorable noises that only fit her personality.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I came to this island after having traveled the world. I have seen many places, and many people." Elizabeth's voice became heavy as tears filled her eyes. "But none of it compares of the beauty here. In this competition, I cried, I laughed, and I fell in love, and you can't find that just anywhere. I owe Camp Wawanakwa my gratitude, and Chris McLean, shockingly enough, for picking a shy British girl that wears a sailor's hat out of obscurity and giving her an opportunity of a lifetime."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Henry reached up, patting his hand against Elizabeth's fondly. He brought her knuckles to his lips, planting a kiss to them. He appeared so calm as he held his girlfriend on her shoulders, his smile only growing as he observed her reactions to the fireworks.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Henry scratched the back of his neck, trying to articulate all of the words running through his head. "I grew up learning the primal nature of people. This show taught me there was more than the bare minimum. That being human was okay. Being human got me past the merge, and being human got me friends. It's not a terrible thing to be human. In fact, it's pretty great!"

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"Babe! Babe! Did you see that explosion?! It went like," Cami jumped in circles around Graham, proceeding to imitate the sounds as if she were some human noisemaker. Graham rubbed the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "Cami, I am watching the same thing you are." He pointed out, peeking at his girlfriend from the cracks of his fingers.

Cami paused, tilting her head to the side. "Yeah, yeah, you're right." She meandered over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind. She laid her head against his back, allowing herself to relax.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"How can I be unhappy about the time I spent here?" Cami spoke incredulously, looking down at her opened hands. "Look at all the cool things I did! I got to do LARPing for the first time! I helped my team win a puzzle challenge! I did so much! How was I so blessed to have such a good thing happen to me?" She looked to the camera, as if it would respond.

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Sara glowered down at her feet, even moreso when Hannah approached her. "You know, Sara, the fanfiction community is speculating about you. Would you compete on another season on this show?" Hannah inquired, taking out a pen and paper. Wide-eyed, Sara stared over to Hannah. "No. I hated my experience here."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I was one of the first people to arrive, and one of the last to leave. I got hit on, I ate disgusting foods, and I nearly killed our host, Chris McLean in his sleep." Sara smiled innocently at the camera, batting her eyelashes. "I wasn't going to come here and be cute. I am not sweet and naive, nor am I the smartest person on the planet. I have sass, and I can kick-ass. I did both things in a way. Sure, I'm pissed I didn't win, but I made a name for myself here. That's pretty f****** cool."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Brittany had never felt more special in her life. Her boyfriend, the winner of a dumb reality competition, had set up a display just for her. It was almost like a dream. And boy, she didn't want to wake up. Brittany looked away from the flashes of fluorescent pinks and yellows for a second to see Daniel looking at her. "If you are going to gawk, do it from my right. That is my good side." She caressed the right side of her face with a teasing chortle, which metastasized into a laugh when Daniel began to tickle her ribcage

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Brittany filed her cuticles, humming in content. "At my school, I am a top bitch. I am a cheerleader, and I drive a car that displays my power before I can even speak. I signed up for _Total Drama Return_ as a dare from my girlfriends. I took a bunk near Maeve, and I found an alliance with her, Daniel, and Albhe. The moments that you didn't get to see defined this experience for me. Those days when we had nothing to do, and we just hung out with each other. That's what this experience is about. It's about the downtime where you get to know people. That is what I will remember from this." Brittany popped a gum bubble, starting to chew afterward. "I came here as a frigid bitch, but now I'm a sweet bitch. Now that's what I call character development."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Adam snuggled back with Ricky once he appeared from his soccer rematch with Albhe. "Did you win?" Adam asked, not really caring either way. He didn't understand sports, nor would he try to. Ricky nodded his head, pressing a chaste kiss to his boyfriend's lips. Adam touched his lips after, his cheeks turning pink. "I always forget how nice that is."

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I joined this competition in the closet, and left out of it. There is something to be said about that. I couldn't have been able to do that if I hadn't been with the people I was with. Lauren, Ricky, Danny...They all helped me come to terms with who I was. It's beautiful how people can just help each other like that. I love Ricky, and he loves me. I hope that a boy like me, who watched the show and identified with me, will be able to accept who they are. Because boy, does it feel great! Adam outstretched his arms, cheering at the end of his sentence.

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Graham held his palms within Cami's craning his neck to look at his girlfriend. "Hey, Cami." He moved her arms, turning to face the female, all while making a square with his fingers. "Click." He repeated, narrowing in around her face, more specifically her grin.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)  
** Graham moved his fingers through his hair, idly looking from left to right. "Before this competition, I thought I was only cool in the world of video games and manga. I didn't even think I was going to make the merge, to be completely honest. But, I was in the top 3. I made it there with my sarcasm, wit, and strategic abilities. I never played dirty, I didn't fight anyone, and I still got as far as I did. My favorite part of this was meeting Cami. She's really shown me a side of the world that I was missing. I could never have enough mental pictures of her smile."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Maeve sat down on the ground, looking down at her tattered copy of _Crime and Punishment._ She flipped through the pages, her fingers skimming the annotations she had made in the margins, a fond smile blooming onto her face.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

Maeve held the book opened in front of her, scanning over her pages of writing along the sides of the novel. "I wrote my annotations about what was happening around me. On page 132, I wrote about how Lauren slapped me." She continued flipping through the pages, closing the book. "They just stop. I think it's because I realized I had people to confide in, and I didn't have to pour my thoughts into a novel. I stopped letting my feelings boil within myself, and I allowed them to be portrayed through words and action. Hell, I had a secret love affair with someone who called me 'Baby Bottle Bop.' I have changed so much, and I am better for it. Instead of reading books about great adventures, I can actually write my own."

 **(END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

The grand finale began, an abundance of colors exploding through the night sky, much like a splatter painting, Brittany's hand moving to grip Daniel's. He still had no idea what he was going to do with the money, but he was glad he had taken a small chunk out of it to pay for the event. It was worth seeing the smiles on everyone's faces.

 **(CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

"I remember when Duncan came for his challenge, and he took an interest in me because he saw himself in me. He saw me as a winner, even I didn't. I don't really know why I won. I guess it's luck, sort of the same way I got Brittany. Damn, am I lucky. I feel like the luckiest man in the universe. I don't know where we will stand, but I feel happy at the moment. Let's just keep this moment frozen, and I can live in it forever."

( **END OF CONFESSIONAL CAM)**

As the fireworks ended, the smoke fizzling away in the night breeze, Sarah turned to Daniel. "Now what? Any more surprises?"

Daniel shook his head, finishing off the ' totally legal beverage' within his red solo cup. "Well, I rented this place for the night, so we can all stay here. The boats will get us in the morning."

Larry shivered, moving his hands along his arms. "Man, I never thought I would be happy to spend another night here. It might be one of the last times we can as a group."

"Then let's party, losers!" Albhe thrusted his fist in the air, picking up Maeve and running to the shoreline. He tossed his girlfriend within the water, cackling as she came up and tried dragging him in, as well. The teens ran after the pair, splashing each other, the sound of their laughter acting as a beautiful symphony that served to describe the night.

"I remember this quote from _The Office."_ Adam's voice rang over the shot of the teens splashing each other. "I wish I knew these were the good old days before I left them. Something like that." He chuckled, the camera panning out to show the exterior of the island, the fire still raging a brilliant inferno on the beach. "I think these are the good old days, right here. But moving on is necessary. A good old day can't be a good old day if you are living in it forever. There's always a new day to break, and new adventures to be had. I personally can't wait to have them."

The whistling from the intro faded into the background, before the camera went to black.


	14. Wait, We're Doing This Again?

**(INSIDE OF CHRIS' PRODUCTION STUDIO)**

Turning off the final audition tape for 'Total Drama Flix', Chris McLean rubbed his face out of exhaustion, listening to the scribbling of pens against paper as the executives pondered the acceptance of the final audition tape for a guy named Jason Lester. "Minus the fact that he clearly threatened me with weapons, what do you guys think? Does that conclude our line-up?" Chris mused, turning on his swivel chair to face them instead of the television.

One female executive nodded her head, scanning the list over briefly to confirm the new cast. "Yeah, that just about does it. You have 12 new teens, a location, and delegated challenges. All you need now is to start filming." She grinned, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she envisioned the cash that was going to enter her pockets. For some reason, whenever the studio put a show thought of in the sinister mind of Chris McLean, the audience ate it up.

So, why did Chris feel so incomplete? Rubbing at his 5 o'clock shadow, despite it being noon, Chris emitted a groan of irritation. "This cast just seems so...lackluster!" He made his concerns none, taking note of the wary expressions of the people around him. "They are all so nice, and they want to do honorable things with the money. Come on, you have to admit, this season will be boring if we don't spice it up."

A gruff executive rolled his eyes, knowing that prying into the inner workings of Chris' mind would lead to their downfall, but he prevailed. "What do you have in mind, McLean?" His tone was sharp as the host's name rolled off his tongue, but Chris didn't seem to take notice to this as he hooked up his computer to the television, pressing a few buttons for his screen to be seen on the television.

12 images photos appeared, all of them having one thing in common; they were in the show, 'Total Drama Return'. Chris stepped forward, clapping his hands together. "These are 12 fan favorites from last season. The show was so successful because of these types of people. Some of them are slimy dirtbags, and some of them are saints. Instead of just having the 12 new cast members, why don't we mix these new 12 with 12 favorites from Total Drama Return?"

The executives glanced between each other, some of them murmuring to their colleagues sitting just adjacent to them. "I know what you are about to ask, how do we know if they will agree?" Chris pried, a sinister smirk crawling onto his features. "I took the liberty of reaching out to them, and they all happily accepted. All I need now is your approval."

"McLean, you deliberately went behind the studio's back to fulfil your need for drama?!" The same gruff executive snapped, slamming his fist on the table. "You're lucky you even got this far with 'Total Drama Flix' in the first place, do you really wanna try to push it further?"

Chris chortled, tucking his hands behind his back. "How can we have a Total Drama program without the drama? You have to trust me. If we go with this idea, then we can all roll in cash," he pointedly looked to the gruff executive. "And you can pay your prenup so you can finally meet with the girl you've been talking to on Tinder."

The female executive sighed, nodding her head. "All of those opposed, raise your hand." She requested, seeing only the gruff executive thrust his palm into the air. The female executive bit her lower lip, knowing full well she could pull the entire operation before it even came to fruition. "Fine, Mr. McLean. We will give you a chance. Now, what do you have in mind?"

Chris sniggered in childish glee. "I'm glad you asked…"

 ** _for a while, i have wanted to make a new SYOC, but as i read back over Total Drama Return, i remembered why i loved it so much in the first place. so, as a happy compromise, i am bringing back 12 contestants from TDR to compete against the new OCs from TDF. if you HAVE NOT READ 'Total Drama Return', i highly suggest it. ;). i am going to be continuing the story on the 'total drama flix' story, so check out over there for updates. here is the official cast of total drama flix._**

 **GIRLS FROM TDR**

1: Brittany Lansing- The Regina George Type (Mine)

2: Mariana Santa Service- The Maternal Chef (TechniqueFantasy)

3: Saraphina "Sara" Laurel Black- The Sweet Bad Girl (Not So Sweet Sara)

4: Hannah Richardson- The Tumblr Blogger (CVluvFoxy)

5: Elizabeth Moore- The Pacifist (ProtectorofRabbits)

6: Lauren Greenwood- The Viral Pop Star (Liz the Sweet Writer)

 **GUYS FROM TDR**

1: Daniel Hinson- The Tragic, Determined Villain (I am a fish)

2: Graham Ulry- The Introverted (Yet Sarcastic) Otaku (xXRocketShark216Xx)

3: Albhe O'Conner- The Lewd Narcissist (DeviouslyNormal)

4: Joshua Power- The Tragic Comedian (Meowth's Tooth Dragon)

5: Adam Freene- The Closeted Geek (xXDemonGingerXx)

6: Jayden "Jay" Foster- The Friendly Manipulator (GirlPower54)

 **NEW GIRLS**

1: Aoife Bryne- The Semi-Professional Cosplayer (POMForever)

2: Sydney Chariot- The Delusional Magician (ninjedi)

3: Genevieve O'Riley- The Idealistic Mediator (Mine)

4: Gerhardine "Gerda" Adelheid Bernharde Halterstädter- The Staunch Physicist (pizzawizz)

5: Sheryl "Cherry" Moobelle- The Cheerleader (BunniesAreNotCookies)

6: Phoebe Winters- The Vertically Challenged Tsundere (XxTokuWrenchStudiosxX)

 **NEW GUYS**

1: Griff James Jackson- The Overjoyful Actor (Totaldramafan04)

2: Daniel Choi- The Apathetic Smart-Mouth (Enabalina)

3: Algonquin Cody "Scoutmaster" Camp- The Rebellious Boy Scout (Michaelfang09)

4: Nathiel "Nate" Yamada- The Attractive Bookworm (Beastboycoolman15)

5: Dante Michals- The Silver Butler (Icathius Nytfall)

6: Jason Leston- The Misleading Gang Leader (ninjedi)


End file.
